Sweating Your Existing Assets: How Water Companies Can Unlock More from What They Already Have

May 22, 2025

Why This Matters Now: AMP8 and the Drive for Storm Overflow Reduction

As England moves into AMP8, the pressure on water companies to deliver more – with tighter budgets and higher scrutiny – has never been greater. Ofwat and the Environment Agency have placed clear emphasis on reducing storm overflows, demanding smarter infrastructure management, improved monitoring, and better operational performance.

That doesn’t always mean building new assets. In fact, the path to compliance and performance often starts with doing more with what’s already in place. Unlocking hidden potential within existing systems can lead to faster, lower-cost improvements — exactly what’s needed in this challenging regulatory and financial environment.

Here are five ways to get started:

1. Audit What You Already Have

Start with a structured review of your current systems, technologies, and equipment. You might be surprised at how many tools are underused — not due to technical limitations, but simply because of forgotten capabilities, poor visibility, or lack of internal knowledge transfer.

Don’t overlook add-ons and point solutions that may have been introduced to solve a specific issue — many of these tools have broader potential. Bringing in an external perspective, particularly from experienced engineers, can reveal immediate opportunities.

2. Reconnect Operations and Engineering

Technology only delivers value when it’s embedded in day-to-day operations. Disconnects between operations and engineering can lead to workarounds, inefficiencies, or misunderstood capabilities.

Cross-functional collaboration is key. Bringing your engineering, operations, and IT teams together to review system usage can uncover gaps in application, training, or integration that are holding back performance.

3. Resist the Reflex to Replace

When systems underperform, the instinct is often to replace them. But more often than not, it’s not the system that’s broken — it’s the configuration, application, or user training.

Before signing off on new capital spend, engage technical consultants who can assess how existing assets are being used. In many cases, small adjustments or retraining can deliver big results – especially relevant in an AMP8 environment where every pound must count.

4. Engage Engineers Early and Often

At Aqua-Tech, our edge comes from deep technical expertise. Our engineers don’t just advise – they roll up their sleeves, get under the hood of your systems, and help identify practical, grounded solutions.

Including engineers in the early stages of review leads to more actionable insights and faster implementation of fixes – bridging the gap between strategy and real-world delivery.

5. Build for Continuous Optimisation

One-time fixes are helpful, but sustainable improvement requires a culture of ongoing review and optimisation. Embedding continuous improvement processes — from routine system checks to user feedback loops — helps ensure that assets evolve with your needs and regulatory demands.

Maximise Value Without New Spend

Our Technical Services division is built to help utilities do more with less. Whether it’s optimising legacy infrastructure, reviewing system design, or aligning operations with strategic goals, Aqua-Tech helps you get more from what you already own – without the need for new capital expenditure.

If you’re ready to unlock more from your existing investments — and get ahead of AMP8 performance goals like storm overflow reduction — we’re ready to help.