waste water sewer network predictions

As the Environment Agency (EA) has described water companies’ efforts to protect the environment as “simply unacceptable”, it seems an opportune time to highlight that one of Detectronic’s key objectives is, and has always been, to help WaSCs prevent sewage spills and pollutions with our specialist monitoring solutions.

The EA’s report, published on 10th July 2019, highlighted the fact that only one of the England’s nine major WaSCs is performing at the required level and overall industry performance has declined with serious pollution incidents actually increasing in 2018. The EA’s chair, Emma Howard Boyd also stated that she and her team are “not seeing dramatic improvements in 2019” either.

As a result, the EA is now fortifying its regulatory approach and will launch a new programme entitled ‘Improving Water Company Performance’.

“Predicting what’s going to happen in the waste water sewer network is the future,” states Dave Walker, commercial director here at Detectronic. “Many UK water companies have already achieved this successfully with potable water distribution networks, but it is significantly harder to accomplish when it comes to the waste water sewer network since it has many more influencing variables.”

Continues Dave: “The race is on to anticipate incidents before they occur. That’s why, over the last few years, we’ve been researching, developing and successfully running a number of machine learning tools to predict behaviour in the networks and so more quickly identify performance issues, sewage overflows, pipe friction losses, reduced pump efficiency and energy consumption.

“Our latest product development in this specific area – predicting, operating and maintaining the sewer network – is set for wider roll-out later this summer. It is specifically designed to help WaSCs enhance self-reporting in PR19, benefit from better asset management with our predictive maintenance tools and, ultimately, be in a position to improve overall operational, environmental and financial performance.

“The feedback from our clients who are currently trialling this product is that they have at last found a business which can and does deliver a full circle approach – with results to match. In fact, following roll-out, Detectronic will be the only UK company to offer a universal monitoring service that includes every required element from manufacture, installation and maintenance of monitors and associated equipment to data management, analysis, reporting and now predictive analytics.

“So confident are we in our full circle management approach, we’re prepared to offer a guaranteed risk-based model that will enable any water company to effectively implement their own ‘Improving Water Company Performance’ programme for their waste water networks.

Please contact us for more information or to arrange a meeting and we’ll do the rest!”