Xylem supports two Ofwat-funded innovation projects across catchment intelligence and wastewater treatment

Xylem is contributing to two successful projects selected through Ofwat’s sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge, supporting innovation in both river health intelligence and low-carbon wastewater treatment.

The two projects, OCI³ and CH4NGE, address very different but closely connected priorities for the water sector: how to make better shared decisions about river catchments, and how to reduce the energy and emissions impact of wastewater treatment while recovering more value from existing processes.

OCI³, Open Catchment Intelligence, Insights & Integration, is led by Northumbrian Water and will develop what is intended to become the UK’s first free, open-source digital tool for collaborative catchment intelligence. The project will bring together data from water companies, regulators, citizen scientists, satellites and environmental monitoring into a shared, interactive view of river health.

For the sector, the challenge is familiar. There is already a huge amount of environmental data available, but it is often fragmented across separate systems, organisations and analytical tools. This makes it harder for water companies, regulators, Rivers Trusts, environmental groups and communities to form a common view of where risks are highest, where evidence is weakest and where action would have the greatest benefit.

OCI³ aims to address that gap by modelling the river as a connected catchment system rather than a set of isolated monitoring points. Users will be able to explore pollution risk, potential source contributions, trends, uncertainty and data gaps through a web-based mapping interface. The tool will also support scenario testing, allowing stakeholders to investigate “what-if” questions before decisions are made, such as the effect of an intervention, additional monitoring location or reduction in pollutant load.

Xylem’s role in OCI³ draws on expertise in environmental sensing, GIS, data science, system design and digital tool development, supporting the creation of an accessible platform that can help translate complex catchment data into practical decisions.

CH4NGE, Carbon Harvesting for Energy, is led by Yorkshire Water in partnership with Xylem, Cranfield University, Thames Water and United Utilities. The project will trial a new approach to wastewater treatment focused on capturing more carbon earlier in the treatment process.

Using Xylem’s Taron filter technology in a new application, CH4NGE will investigate how more carbon can be recovered during primary treatment and directed towards anaerobic digestion, where it can be converted into biogas as a renewable fuel. By lowering the organic load entering secondary treatment, the approach also has the potential to reduce aeration energy demand and support lower greenhouse gas emissions from the activated sludge process.

Cranfield University will provide performance analysis, benchmarking and validation, including work to assess biogas potential, nutrient removal and any downstream treatment risks. The project will generate data through a 12-month pilot, supported by system modelling to understand potential cost, carbon and performance benefits.

Together, OCI³ and CH4NGE show the breadth of innovation needed across the water sector. One project focuses on better evidence, transparency and collaborative catchment planning. The other focuses on process innovation, energy recovery and lower-carbon treatment. Across both, Xylem’s contribution reflects the value of combining technology, data, operational insight and partnership to help deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment.

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