Following on from the completion of a successful recent trial, Severn Trent is ready to begin the next phase of an ambitious smart sewer roll out which aims to prevent flooding from blockages caused by wet wipes, cooking fat and other unflushables.

Since September 2020, Severn Trent has deployed over 1,500 SpillSens units, which act as an early warning level monitoring and blockage alert system within network trouble spots.

Flooding and pollution events caused by blockages can be expensive to fix and to compensate for, so Severn Trent is investing in technology that will greatly reduce the risk of these events occurring.

The second phase of the rollout will see an additional 3,000 SpillSens units deployed, including in Birmingham, Derby, Stoke on Trent and Nottingham.  Severn Trent plans to install a total of 40,000 units over the next five years to help protect their 90,000km waste water network.

SpillSens uses digital positioning technology to monitor rising levels within the sewer system and delivers an alert to the customer should regular levels be exceeded.  This information helps the customer, in this case Severn Trent, to pinpoint emerging problems before they develop.

In discussing the roll out, tactical asset planning manager, Margaret Williams, explained: “following the successful installation of our first 1,500 units, we are really pleased to be able to quickly follow on with phase two.  These units will be installed in blockage, flooding and pollution hotspot areas across the region where we have identified a higher than normal amount of incidents”.

Margaret continued: “the units give us the opportunity to gain a much clearer understanding of what is happening in the sewers in real time and have the potential to play a key role in the early identification of blockage incidents caused by people putting the wrong things down the toilet and drain, which would be a fantastic outcome for everyone”.

For more information about SpillSens and our range of waste water monitoring solutions please click here.