Professor Vanessa Speight
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Professor of Integrated Water Systems
v.speight@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0259
+44 114 222 0259
Room E103b, Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Full contact details
Professor Vanessa Speight
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room E103b
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room E103b
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
Prof Speight is an internationally recognised expert in drinking water quality with a focus on potable water distribution systems, applications of models and data analytics for decision support, public health risk, and regulatory/policy development. Her primary interests are understanding and modelling the reactions between hydraulics, microbiological constituents, and chemical contaminants within complex socio-technical urban water systems to design the innovative, sustainable water systems of the future.
Current research involves improving understanding about drinking water quality transformations from source to tap across raw water reactions, treatment processes, treated water storage, and water distribution, with a goal of integrating knowledge across these aspects that are rarely considered holistically. Vanessa’s approaches include laboratory experiments, field investigations, and data analytics to answer these important questions.
A new but rapidly expanding field of her research relates to intermittent water distribution systems, which are the dominant form of water supply for billions around the world, to better understand the impact of such operations on asset deterioration, water quality and public health. Ongoing research is investigating how network conditions and consumer usage jointly affect water supply and the impact of operations on water quality including biofilm growth, supported by laboratory and field work in Nepal.
Vanessa was Managing Director of TWENTY65, the EPSRC Grand Challenge Centre for Water working with 6 universities and 100+ industrial collaborative partners across the water cycle to develop flexible and synergistic solutions to meet future challenges for water. This research includes describing the drivers and technologies that might lead to a future with partially decentralised water systems, quantifying city-scale impacts of such transformations, greywater recycling, and water quality impacts of low water use devices.
Vanessa is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Professional Engineer (Maryland USA), and Deputy Editor for the journal AWWA Water Science. She has an extensive history of professional service including conference organisation and scientific committee work for associations including AWWA, ASCE, and IWA.
- Qualifications
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- PhD, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- MS, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- BEng, McGill University
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Information-theoretic sensor placement for large sewer networks. Water Research, 122718-122718.
- A data‐driven predictive model for disinfectant residual in drinking water storage tanks. AWWA Water Science, 6(3).
- Forecasting acute rainfall driven E. coli impacts in inland rivers based on sewer monitoring and field runoff. Water Research, 248, 120838-120838.
- Broad Brush Surveys: a rapid qualitative assessment approach for water and sanitation infrastructure in urban sub-Saharan cities. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 5. View this article in WRRO
- The adaptive systemic approach: catalysing more just and sustainable outcomes from sustainability and natural resources development research. River Research and Applications. View this article in WRRO
- Managing discolouration in drinking water distribution systems by integrating understanding of material behaviour. Water Research, 243. View this article in WRRO
- Forecasting bacteriological presence in treated drinking water using machine learning. Frontiers in Water, 5. View this article in WRRO
- Influence of service reservoir construction age on the likelihood of bacteriological failure occurrence. Institute of Water Journal(8), 22-25. View this article in WRRO
- The application of artificial intelligence techniques to better manage iron in drinking water distribution systems. Institute of Water Journal(7), 28-34. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding and managing uncertainty and variability for wastewater monitoring beyond the pandemic : lessons learned from the United Kingdom national COVID-19 surveillance programmes. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 424(Part B).
- Defining domestic water consumption based on personal water use activities. Journal of Water Supply Research and Technology—AQUA, 70(7), 1002-1011.
- Evaluation of data-driven and process-based real-time flow forecasting techniques for informing operation of surface water abstraction. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 147(7). View this article in WRRO
- Optimizing surface water pumping operations utilizing hydrological forecasting and a genetic algorithm.
- The operational value of inlet monitoring at service reservoirs. Urban Water Journal, 17(8), 735-744. View this article in WRRO
- A neighbourhood-level analysis of the impact of common urban forms on energy use in drinking water distribution systems. Water Resources Management, 34, 2641-2655.
- Effect of pipe size and location on water-main head loss in water distribution systems. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 146(6).
- Predicting crater formation from failure of pressurized water mains through analogy with buried explosive events. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 11(2). View this article in WRRO
- Catchment scale land use optimisation using genetic algorithm to mitigate acute diffuse pollution.
- Are secondary disinfectants performing as intended?. Journal American Water Works Association, 111(11), 38-43. View this article in WRRO
- Is Open Access a Cash Grab by Publishers or a Global Benefit to Researchers?. Journal AWWA, 111(10), 64-66.
- Thinking outside the treatment plant: UV for water distribution system disinfection. Accounts of Chemical Research, 52(5), 1226-1233. View this article in WRRO
- Identification of the causes of drinking water discolouration from machine learning analysis of historical datasets. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 5(4), 747-755. View this article in WRRO
- Sustainable water systems of the future: how to ensure public health protection?. Perspectives in Public Health, 138(5), 248-249.
- Examining the energy performance associated with typical pipe unit head loss thresholds. Journal - American Water Works Association, 110(9), 15-27. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Energy, 171(3), 91-92.
- Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management, 171(3), 123-124.
- Identification of factors that influence energy performance in water distribution system mains. Water , 10(4). View this article in WRRO
- Energy metrics to evaluate the energy use and performance of water main assets. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 144(2). View this article in WRRO
- Understanding the costs of investigating coliform and E. coli detections during routine drinking water quality monitoring. Urban Water Journal, 15(2), 101-108. View this article in WRRO
- An assessment of sub-standard water pressure in South African potable distribution systems. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 7(4), 557-567. View this article in WRRO
- Ensemble decision tree models using RUSBoost for estimating risk of iron failure in drinking water distribution systems. Water Resources Management, 31(5), 1575-1589. View this article in WRRO
- Briefing: Disruptive socio-technical solutions to drive re-visualisation of water service provision. Proceedings of the ICE - Water Management, 170(3), 111-114. View this article in WRRO
- Impact of Urban Development on Energy Use in a Distribution System. Journal - American Water Works Association, 109, E10-E18.
- How do you like your tap water?. Science, 351(6276), 912-914.
- Innovation in the water industry: barriers and opportunities for US and UK utilities. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 2(4), 301-313. View this article in WRRO
- Sensitivity Analysis of Energy Use in Pipe-Replacement Planning for a Large Water-Distribution Network. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 141(8).
- A risk-based methodology for contaminant prioritization. Journal - American Water Works Association, 106(3), 69-70.
- A risk-based methodology for contaminant prioritization. Journal - American Water Works Association, 106(3), E150-E159.
- Life‐cycle energy analysis of performance‐ versus age‐based pipe replacement schedules. Journal AWWA, 105(12).
- Research findings: what you as a utility manager need to know. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 1(105), 44-49.
- Research findings: What utility managers need to know. Journal AWWA, 105(1), 44-50.
- Research findings: what you as a utility manager need to know. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 1(104), 63-68.
- Research findings: What utility managers need to know. Journal AWWA, 104(1), 63-68.
- Recent Research Every Utility Manager Needs to Know About. Journal AWWA, 103(1), 48-59.
- Syngeries Between Security Research and Distribution System Water Quality Management. Journal AWWA, 102(2), 30-33.
- Model calibration and current usage in practice. Urban Water Journal, 6(1), 23-28.
- Association between residual chlorine loss and HAA reduction in distribution systems. Journal AWWA, 97(2), 82-91.
- Randomized Stratified Sampling Methodology for Water Quality in Distribution Systems. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 130(4), 330-338.
- Assessing Exposure to Disinfection By-Products in Women of Reproductive Age Living in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Cobb County, Georgia: Descriptive Results and Methods. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(6), 597-597.
- Assessing exposure to disinfection by-products in women of reproductive age living in Corpus Christi, Texas and Cobb County, Georgia: Descriptive results and methods. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(6), 597-604. View this article in WRRO
- A metric for drinking water service reservoir performance as a sink or source of material. AQUA — Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society.
- A Big Data framework for actionable information to manage drinking water quality. AQUA — Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society. View this article in WRRO
- Short-term impacts of the filling transition across elevations in intermittent water supply systems. Urban Water Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Research findings: what you as a utility manager need to know. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 1(105), 44-49.
- Water distribution systems: the next frontier. The Bridge, Journal of the National Academy of Engineering, 3(38), 31-37.
- CCWI2017: F3 'Exploring How Pipe-Level Energy Metrics Relate to Hydraulic Parameters Using Multivariate Analysis'.
Chapters
- Fundamentals of internal corrosion and metal release In Giani R (Ed.), M58--internal Corrosion Control in Water Distribution Systems American Water Works Association
- Microbiological quality control in distribution systems In Edzwald J (Ed.), Water Quality and Treatment, 6th Edition Denver, Colorado, USA: American Water Works Association.
Conference proceedings papers
- Current Practices, Gaps and Opportunities in Data Utilization in Water Utility Industry. 15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics, 27 May 2024 - 30 May 2024.
- Predicting iron exceedance risk in drinking water distribution systems using machine learning. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 1136 (pp 012047). Bucharest, Romania, 4 July 2022 - 4 July 2022. View this article in WRRO
- A data-driven model for the prediction of chlorine losses in water distribution trunk mains. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 1136 (pp 012048). Bucharest, Romania, 4 July 2022 - 4 July 2022. View this article in WRRO
- A machine learning application on water quality datasets for understanding the factors of bacteriological failures on service reservoirs. Proceedings of the IWA-Aspire Conference. Hong Kong, 31 October 2019 - 2 November 2019.
- Impact of Hydraulic Conditions on Pressures in an Intermittent Water Supply System. Publishings of the 17th International Computing & Control for the Water Industry Conference, 1 September 2019 - 4 September 2019.
- The operational value of inlet monitoring at service reservoirs. Proceedings of the 17th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference, 1 September 2019 - 4 September 2019.
- Investigating drinking water behaviour treated by different disinfection with the use of a machine learning technique on water quality datasets. datasets’ Proceedings of the 17th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference, 1 September 2019 - 4 September 2019.
- Framework for city-scale simulation of sustainable water technologies. Proceedings of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
- Patterns in the deterioration of water quality in distribution networks with demand reduction technologies. 2018 WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference Proceedings. Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 23 July 2018 - 23 July 2018. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring how Pipe-level energy metrics relate to hydraulic parameters using multivariate analysis. CCWI 2017 - 15th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry
- An energy evaluation of common hydraulic thresholds in water mains. CCWI 2017 - 15th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry
- Pressure from customer boundary box: new data to inform system management. 14th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, 7 November 2016 - 9 November 2016.
- Pipe-level Energy Metrics for Energy Assessment in Water Distribution Networks. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 139-147)
- Impact of Urban form on Energy Use in Water Distribution Systems at the Neighbourhood Level. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 1049-1058)
- Data driven analysis of customer flow meter data. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 834-843)
- Current Perspectives on Disinfectant Modelling. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119 (pp 434-441)
- Interpreting and estimating the risk of iron failures. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 119(1) (pp 299-308) View this article in WRRO
- Self-Organizing Maps For Knowledge Discovery From Corporate Databases To Develop Risk Based Prioritization For Stagnation . Proceedings of. New York City, USA, 17 August 2014 - 17 August 2014. View this article in WRRO
- Sensitivity of Energy Use to Factors in Pipe Replacement Planning for a Large Water Distribution System. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 804-810)
- Residual Chlorine in the Extremities of the Drinking Water Distribution System: The Influence of Stochastic Water Demands. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 70 (pp 172-180)
- Impact of Pipe Roughness on Pumping Energy in Complex Distribution Systems. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 70 (pp 1575-1581)
- Evaluating water storage operation. 2013 Water Quality Technology Conference and Exposition, WQTC 2013
- Life cycle energy analysis for sustainable pipe replacement scheduling. 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012, Vol. 2 (pp 1184-1195)
- Data integration to support hydraulic modeling at a large water utility. Urban Water Management: Challenges and Oppurtunities - 11th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, CCWI 2011, Vol. 1
- Trade-offs between continuous and grab samples for water quality in distribution systems. Integrating Water Systems - Proceedings of the 10th International on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, CCWI 2009 (pp 447-451)
- Development of Model Calibration Guidance. Water Distribution Systems Analysis 2008
- Integrated Planning for Dual Distribution Systems. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009
- Top-Down Construction of a Bridge in Clay Shale. Contemporary Topics in Ground Modification, Problem Soils, and Geo-Support
- Modeling haloacetic acid formation/degradation in water distribution systems based upon a first-order deficit model regression technique. American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition 2009, ACE 2009
- Trade-offs between continuous and grab samples for water quality in distribution systems. Water Quality Technology Conference and Exposition 2009 (pp 763-780)
- Increasing Application of Water Quality Models. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2008
- Development of a Phased Water Master Plan using Optimization. Water Distribution Systems Analysis Symposium 2006
- Using Monte-Carlo Simulation to Evaluate Alternative Water Quality Sampling Plans. Water Distribution Systems Analysis Symposium 2006
- Short-term variations in DBP concentrations at the point of entry to the distribution system. Water Quality Technology Conference and Exposition 2008 (pp 3417-3431)
- Use of Distribution System Modeling in Designing Microbial Monitoring Programs. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2007
- Proactive management of distribition ststem water qiality City of Houston's expesienpes. American Water Works Association - AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition, ACE 2007
- Interpreting distribution system data using water quality models. American Water Works Association - Distribution Systems Symposium, DSS 2007 (pp 687-713)
- Perspectives on the total coliform rule revisions / distribution system rule. American Water Works Association - AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition, ACE 2007
- Incorporating optimization into a phased water master plan. 2005 Distribution System Symposium Proceedings, DSS 2005
- Water Quality Models for Analysis of Small System Operation: Case Study of Carthage, NC. World Water & Environmental Resources Congress 2003
- Water Quality Models for Analysis of Small System Operation: Case Study of Carthage, NC. World Water and Environmental Resources Congress (pp 1719-1728)
- Incorporation and Mobilisation of Health-Related Organisms from within Drinking Water Biofilm. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024), Vol. 214 (pp 115-115)
- Modelling Consumer Demand in Intermittent Water Supply (IWS) Networks: Evidence from Nepal. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024), Vol. 51 (pp 38-38)
- The Impacts of Chlorine and Chloramine on Biofilms and Discolouration in Operational Drinking Water Distribution Systems. The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024), Vol. 2 (pp 2-2)
- Disinfection Residual Behaviour within Drinking Water Distribution Systems. Proceedings - 2nd International Join Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis (WDSA)& Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI), 18 July 2022 - 22 July 2022.
- Discovering Differences in Iron and Manganese Behaviour in Service Reservoirs. Proceedings - 2nd International Join Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis (WDSA)& Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI), 18 July 2022 - 22 July 2022.
- A Model of Intermittent Water Supply Simulating the Inequitable Distribution of Water. Proceedings - 2nd International Join Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis (WDSA)& Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI), 18 July 2022 - 22 July 2022.
- Cost of performing assessments under the Revised Total Coliform Rule: US and UK comparison. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 17 November 2014 - 20 November 2014.
- Social science to support water sensitive cities. IWA World Congress. Lisbon, Portugal, 22 September 2014 - 26 September 2014.
- Life-cycle energy analysis to assess the energy use implications of pipe replacement schedules. IWA Asset Management for Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Systems Conference. Marbella, Spain, 24 April 2013 - 26 April 2013.
- Impact of hydraulic events on organic and inorganic material in distribution systems. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Long Beach, California, USA, 4 November 2013 - 7 November 2013.
- An exposure assessment methodology for water distribution storage facility contamination events. IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition. Montreal, Canada
- A framework for prioritizing information collection and research needs related to distribution system risk. Global Conference on Microbial Contaminants. Singapore
- Distribution system research needs: figuring out what we know and don’t know – then filling the gap. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Revisions to the USEPA Total Coliform Rule: Focus on small systems. 13th Canadian National Conference on Drinking Water. Quebec City, Canada
- Proposed framework for responding to total coliform positives: implications for distribution system operations. AWWA Distribution System Symposium. Austin, Texas, USA
- Distribution systems: the next frontier. Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 2007 Symposium. Seattle, Washington, USA
- Applicability of security research and technology to the TCR. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
- Overview of model development, calibration and usage. International Conference on Computing and Control in the Water Industry (CCWI). Leicester, UK
- Probabilistic modeling of DBPs in distribution systems. AWWA Distribution System Research Symposium. Reno, Nevada, USA
- Water quality modeling for the City of Houston. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Denver, Colorado, USA
- Sampling plan design: implications for the Total Coliform Rule. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Denver, Colorado, USA
- Regional alternatives for water master planning. AWWA Ohio Section Conference. Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Regional water supply planning in a rapidly growing suburban area. Joint Management Conference of the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation. Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- An application of water quality modeling in a small system. AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition. Orlando, Florida, USA
- Where, when and how many? Water quality sampling in distribution systems. AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition. Orlando, Florida, USA
- Sampling network design for calibration of models of water quality in distribution systems. Fifth International Conference on Hydroinformatics. Cardiff, UK
- Water quality sampling strategies for distribution systems. Environmental and Water Resources Institute Congress, ASCE. Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- Disinfection by-product exposure assessment using distribution system modeling. AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- CCWI2017: F2 'An Energy Evaluation of Common Hydraulic Thresholds in Water Mains'
Reports
- Cratering associated with failure of pressurised water mains
- Literature review: cratering associated with failure of pressurised water mains
- Drinking Water Quality Big Question: How Can We Achieve 100% Compliance with Drinking Water Standards at Point of Use by 2050?
- Guidelines for Developing, Calibrating and Using Hydraulic Models
- Probabilistic Modeling Framework for Assessing Water Quality Sampling Programs
- Disinfectant Decay and Corrosion: Laboratory and Field Studies
Other
Preprints
- Understanding and managing uncertainty and variability for wastewater monitoring beyond the pandemic: Lessons learned from the United Kingdom National COVID-19 Surveillance Programmes, Wiley.
- Understanding and managing uncertainty and variability for wastewater monitoring beyond the pandemic: Lessons learned from the United Kingdom National COVID-19 Surveillance Programmes, Wiley.
- Information-theoretic sensor placement for large sewer networks. Water Research, 122718-122718.
- Research group
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Water Distribution Systems & Infrastructure
- Grants
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Projects
TWENTY65
The EPSRC-funded Grand Challenge Centre for Water, comprising 6 UK universities and 100+ industrial partners working in collaboration to develop the sustainable water solutions of the future and to accelerate innovation uptake across the water sector.
Material Destiny
A collaborative project with 4 UK water companies to better understand the source, fate and transport of materials from source to tap in drinking water systems, with a particular focus on storage reservoirs.
ICASP Catchment Telemetry Integration
Working with the Living with Water Partnership in the Hull (UK) area, this project is evaluating data-driven approaches to extract value from a number of disparate monitoring systems with a goal of better understanding flooding dynamics and developing approaches for early flood warning.
Wat-Qual
The multidisciplinary Wat-Qual consortium (funded by EU Horizon 2020 Marie Curie RISE) includes participation from 10 countries spanning academic and industrial institutions to advance understanding and share knowledge about the impacts on drinking water quality in distribution systems from flushing, disinfection, and repairs.
Real Time Monitoring Technologies of Bacteria Downstream of Water Treatment Work
Funded jointly by UK Water Industry Research and TWENTY65, this project evaluates the potential applications for incorporating real-time microbiological monitoring into water distribution system management.
Characterizing the Effects of Supply Hours and Pressure of Intermittent Piped Water Supplies on Water Quality
More than one billion people regularly receive water through distribution systems that are operated intermittently, i.e. for fewer than 24 hours per day, with an estimated 17 million waterborne disease cases potentially associated with this practice worldwide each year.
This research is developing a fundamental understanding of the microbial ecology of intermittently operated water distribution systems to inform operational or construction risk reduction strategies. Funded by US NSF and EPSRC, this project is a collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Sheffield.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health
- Editorial Board Member, Public Health in Practice
- Associate Editor, AWWA Water Science
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- Professional Engineer (VA and MD, USA)