Helping Severn Trent Prevent Sewage Leaks

High-tech alarm systems help protect sites of special scientific interest

Detectronic, specialists in preventing flooding and reducing pollution in the water industry, are working in partnership with Severn Trent Water to help prevent sewage leaks at sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).

With responsibility for 91,000km of sewers and drains – enough to circle the earth twice – Severn Trent Water has a mammoth task to ensure its complex network of sewers remains free flowing. The water company employs 2,000 people to maintain the sewer network that stretches across the heart of the UK from the Bristol Channel to the Humber, and from mid-Wales to the East Midlands.

Explains Dave Walker, commercial director at Detectronic: “There are over 4,100 SSSIs in England alone, each of which is internationally important. They represent the country’s very best wildlife and geographical sites and include some of our most spectacular and beautiful habitats such as wetlands, rivers and beaches.

“These sites are under constant pressure from development, pollution and climate change so their preservation and protection is vital and organisations like Severn Trent have a strict duty of care to protect, manage and maintain them.”

Sewage leaks are just one of the issues that could damage SSSIs, so, Severn Trent is working with Detectronic to identify any potential operating issues which could affect SSSIs in its regions.

Heapham Lake in Gainsborough, East Yorkshire is one example. Any blockage in a sewer in the area could potentially cause sewage to leak into the lake. The ability to identify any problems and respond quickly is imperative and this is where Detectronic come in.

Outlines Dave: “Severn Trent approached us to carry out an appraisal of the sewer network associated with Heapham Lake and we recommended the installation of a cluster of level and flow monitoring equipment in the area.

“Since the equipment was deployed, data from each of the monitors is transmitted to our technical Data Centre for data screening and analysis. This now enables us to provide Severn Trent’s strategy and service delivery teams with precise data on sewer flow and levels that, in turn, facilitate the identification of potential problems before they arise.”

Comments Zelia Lyne, from Severn Trent Water: “Working alongside Detectronic who monitor the network for us 7 days a week, is helping us to prevent incidents occurring and is providing Severn Trent with in-depth data which enables us to manually intervene if necessary. Having such accurate information at our fingertips and the opportunity to share it with the correct teams here is invaluable to us.”

June 2014