There are many companies which benefit directly and indirectly from conflict. The second gulf war, and aftermath in Iraq, made peole more aware of the needs of the natives of war torn countries in post-conflict situations. Hurronsbury had anticipated the growing need, and probable scale of demand for Integrated Water Solutions and camp infrastructure material not just in post-conflict situations, but also after natural disasters like the Christmas Tsunami in 2004.
Hurronsbury is an accepted US DOD and UK MOD Contractor and holds an active registration with the US DOD Central Contractors Register number DUNS 233181275 and Cage/NCage number KCP06. In addition United Nations acceptance under UNGM reference 129988 exists.
Hurronsbury will never be the weak link in your supply chain TM
***************************************************************************************************************** Cleaning
The cleaning and disinfection of water systems on a regular basis is vital if hygienic conditions are to be maintained and is a service that Hurronsbury have considerable experience in. There are currently two standards that relate directly to this subject.
British Standard 6700
This standard relates to new, domestic pipework installations, and states that new installations or modifications should be disinfected before being placed into service. The method to be used is set out in the standard, detailing the contact times and disinfecting agents to be used. Heating, ventilating and pipework contractors that use our service will have the disinfection certificated on completion of the work and before the building is placed into use.
Legionnaires disease' 'The control of legionella bacteria in water sytems' ACOP (L8)
This H.S.E. Code of Practice relates directly to the control of legionnaires' disease and as part of a complete maintenance and management system recommends regular cleaning and disinfection of the following types of equipment:
Cold water storage tanks and down services
Hot water calorifiers
Cooling towers and evaporative condensers
Air humidifaction plant
Water oulets and shower heads
Water features
Misting systems
The frequency of cleaning and disinfection is twice annually for cooling towers and once per annum for hot and cold water services. Other systems will have the frequency established in the Risk Assessment and Logbook but in general is dependant on the risk of the system and the potential for contamination.
Hurronsbury can supply cleaning services, please ask for details of our services and charges
Standard systems exist for filtering and purifying water from ‘Aquatab’, which are tablets added to a measured volume of water, through to truck mounted or containerized total reverse osmosis water purification system. For long term use in-tank treatment, as used by most European water corporations, is often preferable.
There are 4 basic requirements for water treatment:-
- Removal of solids
- Desalination
- Removal of bacteria
- Taste
Removal of Solids
This can be carried out by settlement or filtration. The normal system is to fit strainers and rough filters to the supply pump so that only small suspended solids end up in the raw water tanks. Strainers and rough filters can be easily backwashed so no consumables are required.
If the raw water is left in the storage tank for over 24 hours most suspended solids will separate out. However, if the time is short or the contamination high, aluminium sulphate can be added as the water is pumped into the tank to speed settlement as aluminium sulphate attracts the impurities and will settle to the bottom of the bank in 2 to 3 hours.
As the water is pumped from the raw water tank it will pass through a final fine filter system. Normally 2 filters in line, a 10 micron and a 1 micron. These filters have replacement elements (see Shelco Filters on this site) so the more pre-settlement is used the less filter elements will be required.
Desalination
This is the removal of dissolved salt and requires the use of a reverse osmosis plant, which itself requires a lot of electrical power and is a slow process. Therefore, for permanent camps, salt water should be avoided as a supply.
Removal of bacteria
This can be achieved by adding chlorine or iodine. Chlorine is the most common chemical used and it can be added as the water is pumped through the treatment system or directly into a final treated water storage tank. A small percentage of residual chlorine is left in the system to protect drinkers from dirty pipes or water carriers and increase the time that the water can be stored.
Chlorine can be dangerous if not properly used. Water testing kits are used to calculate the amount of chlorine required to kill all the bacteria (see the Kittiwake Water Test Kits on this site). The volume of chlorine residue is checked daily using a simple comparator to avoid chlorine build up.
Iodine is used to kill bacteria by pumping the water through a specially impregnated element. The element is replaced once all the iodine has been used. This makes iodine a simple option to use. However, excess iodine must be kept to a minimum as the taste is unpleasant and this can limit the time pure water can be stored.
Taste
It is relatively easy to produce ‘safe’ drinking water. However, to adjust the taste can be more difficult and may require adjustment to the water’s PH level, normally by adding lime or additional filtration. This is not a problem given time. However, sufficient time is often not available so the taste is adjusted over a period once the system is in use.
Finally
Most waters can be made drinkable. However, the better the water source, the less treatment is required, so finding a good water source and testing it is a first requirement.
Hurronsbury Acceptances
Accepted by the United Nations agencies such as UNDP, UNOPS and UNHCR under UNGM reference 129988, the US Defence Logistics Agency (DLA) under Central Contractors Register number DUNS 233181275 and the UK Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) under Cage/NCage number KCP06. Hurronsbury strives to provide excellence in its operations as delays impact effectivness of aid workers and peacekeeping troops on the ground.
