Welsh Water security gets a boost from CLIQ

Challenge

Llyn Brenig Reservoir was completed in 1976, and since 1979 has managed the flow of the River Dee, providing crucial water supplies to industries and households in north-east Wales and north-west England. As well as water infrastructure, the reservoir and its environs attract around 190,000 annual visitors for watersports, fishing, wildlife watching and cycling.

The whole facility was look-ing to upgrade its security from old-fashioned mechanical locks.

Essential requirements for the upgrade included:

• A modern locking system suited to the site’s varied users; access is required by utility workers and contractors, as well as by those involved in the tourism industry
• Premium levels of security: the site has valuable plant equipment and the risk of fuel theft, metal theft or poaching is ever-present
• Weatherproof equipment, because a number of site padlocks are on gates and barriers exposed to North Wales’ harsh elements all year round

Solution

The site at Llyn Brenig has been equipped with pad-locks, cylinders and keys from the CLIQ range. The new CLIQ electromechanical keys are part of a PROTEC master-key system specifically designed for the needs of Welsh Water.

CLIQ keys can operate in both mechanical and electronic cylinders. It is straightforward to generate an audit trail from any key, padlock or cylinder across the facility. Now access rights at Llyn Brenig can be tailored to every user’s precise needs, and can be amended on demand. CLIQ also guarantees long-term cost savings for the utility, because locks no longer need to be changed when keys are lost. Missing keys are just deleted from the system.

Llyn Brenig’s CLIQ system is also fully flexible. For example, the same system could easily accommodate a planned expansion of site facilities—scheduled to include a café and improvements to boardwalk areas—if needed. According to site manager Nick Kite, “the greater functionality of CLIQ is very important, allowing us to change key access rights, download audit trails and remove missing keys as required. It gives us that extra flexibility".