Activated Carbon Usage
Dear Thames Water,
Please could I make a request for a summary of the total usage, in tons, of activated carbon across the various sites operated by Thames Water.
I would also like to request for additional information regarding a breakdown of this usage of activated carbon in terms of type i.e. PAC or GAC and indication of replacement frequency across the network.
Yours faithfully,
Ray McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
Good morning Mr McGreal,
Thank you for your Environmental Information Request.
In order to process your request could you please specify if your interested in waste sites, clean sites or both.
Kind regards
Georgia Singer
Data Protection Advisor
Dear EIR Requests,
I am interested in both waste and clean sites.
Yours sincerely,
Raymond McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
Good Morning,
Thank you for your request, can you please confirm the time period this covers for example last financial year?
Kind Regards,
Owen Field
Dear EIR Requests,
To clarify, at any one time there will be a certain quantity of activated carbon in use. If this information is not available then may I please request a summary of the total amount of activated carbon that has been replaced and/or regenerated/recycled in the last two financial years. My original question is below for reference.
"Please could I make a request for a summary of the total usage, in tons, of activated carbon across the various sites operated by Thames Water.
I would also like to request for additional information regarding a breakdown of this usage of activated carbon in terms of type i.e. PAC or GAC and indication of replacement frequency across the network."
Yours sincerely,
Raymond McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
Dear EIR Requests,
Just a reminder that I am patiently awaiting a response to this request:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...
Yours sincerely,
Raymond McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your email, we are currently collating the data for you, we have 20 working days to respond to the request and will respond no later than 01 October 2020.
Kind Regards,
Owen Field
Thames Water Utilities Limited
EIR Requests
Clearwater Court
Vastern Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 8DB
Email: [1][email address]
1 October 2020
Our Ref: EIR- 20-21-473
Environmental Information Request
Dear Mr McGreal
Thank you for your environmental information request. Please find our
response to your questions below.
Your Request
Please could I make a request for a summary of the total usage, in tons,
of activated carbon across the various sites operated by Thames Water.
I would also like to request for additional information regarding a
breakdown of this usage of activated carbon in terms of type i.e. PAC or
GAC and indication of replacement frequency across the network.
Our Response
I have checked our records and can confirm that for our clean water
production there is a total usage of 20,627.5 tonnes of granular activated
carbon (GAC) at any time which is explained below:
o 17,002 tonnes are in use within slow sand filters,
o 2,877 tonnes are in use within absorbers
o 748.5 tonnes are in use in within vessels
The replacement frequency is dependent on volume of water treated,
influent water quality and the purpose of the GAC, so will vary. The below
is an indication of the frequency range
o Slow sand filters every 3-4 years
o Absorbers every 2 to 5 years
o Vessels every 1 to 4 years
From 01/01/2018 to 01/09/2020 we have consumed 206 tons of regenerable
Granular Activated Carbon within our wastewater network. This is removed
from site and regenerated before being returned to site and reused in the
siloxane removal filters relating to our biogas CHP (Combined Heat and
Power) generating plants. I can confirm our CHP fleet has approximately
111 tons of carbon installed and in use as a filter medium at any one
time.
Please see the below breakdown of sites,
Site – Littlemore
o 27th July 2018 – 4.91 m3 4mm Activated Carbon replaced and waste
removed.
o 30th September 2019 – 4.91m3 4mm Activated Carbon replaced and waste
removed.
o 15th September 2020 – Planned removal and replacement of 4.91m3 (same
as above)
For the single project in period 2018/19 FY and 2019/20 FY for Carbon
replacement for OCU (Odour Control Unit) at Thames Water Sites:
Riverside STW: OCU 2 – Replacement of Activated Carbon Pellets for
Hydrogen Sulphide 1000 kg removed by hand, 1000 kg Carbon replaced by
hand. Hydrogen sulphide is a substance that can be present in the biogas
that's produced as part of the sludge treatment process, and it can be
damaging to machinery hence it needs to be controlled by hand.
The above information is held by our contractors and we are awaiting
information from a further two companies which will be provided as soon as
the data is available.
Disclaimer
The information provided with this letter is taken from the information we
hold on our records as at the date indicated. We cannot guarantee the
accuracy of this information and it should not be relied on for any
purpose.
Under the Regulations, Thames Water has a duty to individuals requesting
information to make that information available on request and in the
format requested, and must comply with this duty, unless one of the
exceptions contained within the Regulations applies.
On this occasion, as the time (chargeable under our published charging
regime) taken to prepare the response has fallen under our minimum limit
for charging, we have waived the fee; We reserve the right to charge in
accordance with the fees published on our web site for any future
requests.
For more information about our interim charges scheme please click
[2]here.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Owen Field
Data Protection Advisor
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://corporate.thameswater.co.uk/abou...
Dear EIR Requests,
Hi Owen, regarding the GAC in the clean water network, specifically the 17,000 tons of GAC in the slow sand filters which is replaced every 3-4 years, can you clarify if this is regenerated or not? It appears from the above that only a small portion (206 tons) of GAC in the entire network is regenerated.
Yours sincerely,
Raymond McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
Thames Water Utilities Limited
EIR Requests
Clearwater Court
Vastern Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 8DB
Email: [1][email address]
08 October 2020
Our Ref: EIR- 20-21-473
Environmental Information Request
Dear Mr McGreal
Thank you for your environmental information request. Please find our
response to your questions below.
Your Request
Please could I make a request for a summary of the total usage, in tons,
of activated carbon across the various sites operated by Thames Water.
I would also like to request for additional information regarding a
breakdown of this usage of activated carbon in terms of type i.e. PAC or
GAC and indication of replacement frequency across the network.
Our Response
I have checked our records and can confirm that for our clean water
production there is a total usage of 20,627.5 tonnes of granular activated
carbon (GAC) at any time which is explained below:
o 17,002 tonnes are in use within slow sand filters,
o 2,877 tonnes are in use within absorbers
o 748.5 tonnes are in use in within vessels
The replacement frequency is dependent on volume of water treated,
influent water quality and the purpose of the GAC, so will vary. The below
is an indication of the frequency range
o Slow sand filters every 3-4 years
o Absorbers every 2 to 5 years
o Vessels every 1 to 4 years
From 01/01/2018 to 01/09/2020 we have consumed 206 tons of regenerable
Granular Activated Carbon within our wastewater network. This is removed
from site and regenerated before being returned to site and reused in the
siloxane removal filters relating to our biogas CHP (Combined Heat and
Power) generating plants. I can confirm our CHP fleet has approximately
111 tons of carbon installed and in use as a filter medium at any one
time.
Please see the below breakdown of sites,
Site – Littlemore
o 27th July 2018 – 4.91 m3 4mm Activated Carbon replaced and waste
removed.
o 30th September 2019 – 4.91m3 4mm Activated Carbon replaced and waste
removed.
o 15th September 2020 – Planned removal and replacement of 4.91m3 (same
as above)
For the single project in period 2018/19 FY and 2019/20 FY for Carbon
replacement for OCU (Odour Control Unit) at Thames Water Sites:
Riverside STW: OCU 2 – Replacement of Activated Carbon Pellets for
Hydrogen Sulphide 1000 kg removed by hand, 1000 kg Carbon replaced by
hand. Hydrogen sulphide is a substance that can be present in the biogas
that's produced as part of the sludge treatment process, and it can be
damaging to machinery hence it needs to be controlled by hand.
Carbon amounts and dates installed and the site locations:
Mar/April 2018 – 5,450kg – Slough sewage treatment works (STW)
June 2018 – 48kg – West Hyde (pumping station)
August 2018 – 200kg – Weybridge STW
May 2019 – 48kg – West Hyde SPS
July 2019 – 800kg – Longreach STW
Sept 2019 – 3,150 kg – Riverside STW
April 2020 – 1,950kg – Maidenhead STW
4 carbon changes on the Odour Control Units (OCU’s) at Mogden STW:
o Product Type: SA70 Carbon Media, Quantity Removed: 144m3, Quantity
Replaced 144m3
o Product Type: SA70 Carbon Media, Quantity Removed: 2m3, Quantity
Replaced 2m3
o Product Type: SA70 Carbon Media, Quantity Removed: 6.5m3, Quantity
Replaced 6.5m3
o Product Type: SA70 Carbon Media, Quantity Removed: 45m3, Quantity
Replaced 45m3
Disclaimer
The information provided with this letter is taken from the information we
hold on our records as at the date indicated. We cannot guarantee the
accuracy of this information and it should not be relied on for any
purpose.
Under the Regulations, Thames Water has a duty to individuals requesting
information to make that information available on request and in the
format requested, and must comply with this duty, unless one of the
exceptions contained within the Regulations applies.
On this occasion, as the time (chargeable under our published charging
regime) taken to prepare the response has fallen under our minimum limit
for charging, we have waived the fee; We reserve the right to charge in
accordance with the fees published on our web site for any future
requests.
For more information about our interim charges scheme please click
[2]here.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Owen Field
Data Protection Advisor
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://corporate.thameswater.co.uk/abou...
Dear EIR Requests,
Thanks for your reply, Owen.
1. Regarding the 20,627.5 tonnes of granular activated
carbon (GAC) in use in the clean water network, can you please clarify what happens to the old carbon that has been replaced every 3-4 years? Is it regenerated (recycled)?
2. If the old carbon is not regenerated can you please clarify why not?
*Note - The replacement of activated carbon and the regeneration of activated carbon are two different activities. Replacement involves removing the old carbon and replacing it with new (virgin) carbon. Regeneration is the recycling of the old carbon for re-use.
Yours sincerely,
Raymond McGreal
Thank you for contacting Thames Water. This inbox is for EIR requests
which we aim to respond to within 20 working days. We may contact you
with any questions we have on your request and if we are unable to
complete your request within 20 days, we will contact you to agree a new
timescale.
If you wish to contact us in the meantime, please email
[Thames Water request email] and make sure you refer to your original
request.
Visit us online www.thameswater.co.uk , follow us on twitter
www.twitter.com/thameswater or find us on www.facebook.com/thameswater.
We’re happy to help you 24/7.
Thames Water Limited (company number 2366623) and Thames Water Utilities
Limited (company number 2366661) are companies registered in England and
Wales, both are registered at Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading,
Berkshire RG1 8DB. This email is confidential and is intended only for the
use of the person it was sent to. Any views or opinions in this email are
those of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Thames Water
Limited or its subsidiaries. If you aren’t the intended recipient of this
email, please don’t copy, use, forward or disclose its contents to any
other person – please destroy and delete the message and any attachments
from your system.
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