Public health engineering initiative of the year

Winner

Maleon

Maleon has worked with McDonalds Restaurants and Environmental Biotech to tackle the problem of the build-up of fats, oils and greases in drains. With over 55% of all sewer blockages in the UK caused by the accumulation of fats, oils and grease it is a priority for water companies and commercial premises to resolve this problem.

Maleon's bioremediation solution uses billions of live vegetative bacteria that feed on fats, oil and grease. These are introduced in to pipework to consume deposits and convert them to carbon dioxide and water. The trial at four McDonalds sites saved the company over £15 000 in call out costs and hugely reduced the amount of fats entering public sewers.

The judges were impressed by this environmental approach to drain management: "Why doesn't everybody do it? they asked?"

Runners-up

Aqua Software

Aqua Software has developed NimbusPro, a software solution that takes away the need for manual calculations for rainwater collection design. The package produces designs in accordance with BS 12056-3. The company claims that application of the software will save architects, public health engineers and roof designers considerable design time and help eliminate the risk of poor design.

Arup

Rainwater harvesting is an important part of sustainable building design. Arup has developed a rainwater harvesting design guide and tool which allows designers to show clients a scheme’s potential from day one. This approach ensures that valuable design time is not wasted on abortive schemes and the most efficient design solution is adopted. The tool ensures that the validity or rainwater harvesting can be assessed on all projects using costs as the main driver to sizing and designing systems. Arup says the design method used in the tool is unique to them and delivers consistent, safe and cost-effective best practice design.

Hoare Lea

Hoare Lea has created a greater focus for its public health engineering (PHE) activities in 2005 by establishing a PHE Group within the practice. By working with the framework of a group structure, Hoare Lea's 15 PHE specialists benefit from peer support, collaboration, knowledge sharing and in-house training.

Hoare Lea supports the proposed PHE degree course at Greenwich University and aims to offer sponsorships and/or summer placements to stimulate its graduate intake.

Iain Johnstone

Public health engineer Iain Johnstone has developed a computer program to ease the process of calculations for rainfall profiles, graphs and greenfield runoff. The program contains location-specific rainfall data of over 4400 places in the UK.