With plans to build 1.5 million homes in the UK by 2029, pressure on water resources is growing and there is an urgent need to increase clean water and wastewater capacity. As the provider of an essential service to our customers, we know we play an important role in facilitating this growth and protecting the environment. 
 
As we prepare for the changes and challenges the next five years will bring for the water industry – including our largest ever capital programme of more than £11 billion - Richard Lee our Head of Engineering at our @one Alliance reflects on some of our previous projects that have made a huge difference to the communities they serve.  
 
Regenerating Heigham Water Treatment Works 

2025 marks four years since the completion of a £36 million upgrade at Heigham Water Treatment Works (WTW). This project was essential to ensuring a resilient and sustainable water supply for the residents in Norwich.   
  
As our population grows, so does the demand for clean drinking water. As a result, we have to think differently about how we balance the needs of our customers with those of the environment – which is exactly what happened at Heigham WTW.   
 
Working alongside our @one Alliance, this three-year project brought the 100+ year old treatment works into the modern age by installing the UK’s largest ever submerged ultrafiltration plant, which uses membrane to filter our water to a very high standard –the fibres in the membrane can even stop a common cold!  
 
By doing this, we were able to increase the works’ capacity which will allow us to have enough water to completely fill 500 baths every single minute! 
 
It was during this project that we also used Virtual Reality (VR) as part of our design process for the first time. By using a VR model, we were able to deliver the project more efficiently, save £1.5 million on removing the initially planned pumping station from the plans and reducing our carbon footprint on site by 88%.  This process has now become business as usual for the @one Alliance, putting us at the forefront of new technologies. 
  
This year, our team are back at Heigham delivering a further £1.25million of infrastructure upgrades, to ensure the site is working to the highest standard. 
 
Facilitating growth in our region 

The investment at Heigham WTW is just one example of how we’re working to improve the resilience of our assets, as they cope with the pressures of a growing population. 
 
Starting in April, we’re planning to deliver £11.2 billion of investment. This will include doubling our investment into the environment, developing plans for two new reservoirs in Lincolnshire and the Fens and continuing work on a ‘water grid’ of new pipelines to feed the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. All this is on top of looking after our existing infrastructure – renewing 1,000km of water mains and making significant improvements to ageing infrastructure and assets.  
 
However, as we ramp up to deliver our biggest investment programme ever, we need skilled and ambitious people to join our team. 
 
Over the next 5 years we’ll be hiring over 500 people to join our @one alliance and help deliver critical investment programmes that will enable growth and resilience in our region, while still protecting and enhancing the environment. To find out more about the roles we have available in our alliances, visit https://onealliance.info/Jobs.