Software & digital tools for water management

Decision-support systems to optimise water assets

At WRc, we have developed specialist digital tools that address specific challenges across water quality management, wastewater compliance, environmental protection, treatment optimisation and infrastructure planning.

Our applications provide practical decision-support systems used by water companies, regulators and environmental specialists to improve operational performance and regulatory compliance.

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Urban Pollution Management Risk Assessment Tool (UPM RAT)

UPM RAT supports assessing storm overflow and wastewater network impacts on receiving waters. The tool is used as part of urban pollution management studies to evaluate environmental risks, assess compliance with regulatory standards and inform investment decisions aimed at reducing pollution events and protecting water quality. It provides a structured approach for analysing the effects of wastewater discharges under varying rainfall and operational conditions.

GACMan

GACMan is a specialist WRc tool used to support the management and optimisation of granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment processes. The software helps water treatment operators understand carbon performance, predict replacement requirements, manage treatment efficiency and optimise operational costs. It assists in maintaining water quality while improving the effectiveness of activated carbon treatment assets.

GACMan comes with a database of GAC types, pesticides and water types. It is normally used alongside laboratory test work (which WRc can provide) to improve calibration of the model against the intended water/GAC material/contaminants. While GACMan was initially targeted at pesticide removal, it has been used to support the design of GAC contactors to remove odour-nuisance materials such as geosmin.

Water quality and corrosion model (WaQCoM)

WaQCoM is WRc’s proprietary water quality modelling tool. It enables rapid assessment of treatment processes, water blending scenarios and chemical dosing strategies while predicting scaling and corrosion behaviour in water systems. For a single water source or blends of multiple water sources, the software calculates a range of water chemistry parameters to assess water stability (regarding bicarbonate carbonate equilibrium) and potential for corrosivity and aggressivity. It enables prediction of the impact on these parameters of dosing common water treatment chemicals. WaQCoM supports treatment plant design, operational decision making and asset protection programmes by helping engineers understand and manage water quality risks.

RAPID: pesticides risk assessment online database

RAPID is an online risk assessment database used by water companies to evaluate pesticide risks to drinking water sources. The system provides information on pesticide properties, environmental behaviour and treatment implications, enabling organisations to assess potential impacts on water supplies and support catchment management decisions. RAPID helps operators identify emerging risks and prepare mitigation strategies to protect drinking water quality.

Analyse Any Routine Data; Visually Acquire Real Knowledge (AARDVARK)

AARDVARK is a statistical software package for non-statisticians developed by WRc and used for analysing environmental and water quality data. The tool assists organisations in providing access to a variety of statistical methods and graphical analyses to answer many of the most common questions asked of routine environmental quality monitoring data. AARDVARK helps utilities understand performance trends and supports long-term planning initiatives.

STORMPAC

STORMPAC is WRc’s rainfall modelling software, which is used extensively across the UK water industry. It generates historical and synthetic rainfall time series and supports climate change analysis, urban pollution management studies and sewer network assessments. The software enables users to analyse rainfall patterns, identify significant storm events and produce data suitable for hydraulic and environmental modelling platforms. STORMPAC is widely used to assess sewer system performance and environmental impacts under both current and future climate scenarios.