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Northumbrian Water has launched a £20 million project aimed at reducing spills from storm overflows in the North East of England.
The “smart sewer” system allows Northumbrian to move wastewater around its network, diverting wastewater away from areas at risk of spills towards emptier parts of the network.
Last year Northumbrian reported over 46,000 sewage spills, with those spill events lasting for more than 280,000 hours.
The smart sewer system uses a mix of AI technology and hundreds of smart sensors placed along sewer pipes.
It will predict when and where rain is about to hit in the region and when and where the sewer networks are more likely to reach capacity and spill.
It will then automatically balance the flows of the network, diverting this wastewater to the emptier parts of the network, managing capacity and reducing the likelihood of spills taking place.
Nigel Watson, information services director at Northumbrian Water, said: “This is an exciting and really innovative project which is set to completely revolutionise the way that our network operates, and maybe even how our industry works as a whole.
“We are determined to be at the forefront when it comes to using clever new technology to protect our rivers and coasts as much as possible. This could be a massive step for us towards reducing how we use storm overflows.
“We know that we, like all water companies, need to do better when it comes to managing how storm overflows operate – and this, along with other innovations and projects we are working on, is set to be a huge step forward in protecting our environment, whilst continuing to protect homes and businesses from flooding.”
Northumbrian is the first UK water company to adopt the technology, however it has been used in the United States.
In South Bend, Indiana, the smart sewer technology has reduced spills in the area by 80% since it was implemented 10 years ago.
The technology will also identify areas where additional capacity is needed, allowing further targeted investments to be made to build alternative storage for rainwater where it is needed most.
The smart sewer will be carried out in partnership with HydroDigital.
Luis Montestruque, principal at HydroDigital, added: “With two decades of exclusive experience building smart sewer systems, we’re proud to partner with Northumbrian Water on this ground-breaking project.
“This initiative is pioneering in its use of AI for design, advanced hybrid digital twin technology, innovative stress avoidance routing control, and use of probabilistic weather forecasting.
“It stands out for its large number of sensors and globally coordinated control points and one of the most aggressive implementation timelines in the industry.
“This project will set a global standard in how water companies use smart sewer technology to reduce spills at a fraction of the cost and time needed by traditional engineering solutions.”
Northumbrian was one of just two water companies in England to earn the Environment Agency’s highest score on its last annual Environmental Performance Assessment.
It also recorded no serious pollution incidents during 2022/23.
During the 2020-25 period, Northumbrian invested c.£80 million towards reducing its reliance on the use of overflows by adding storage capacity to the sewer networks.
In the next regulatory period, Northumbrian has proposed doubling the amount it invests to more than £6 billion, including £1.7 billion to improve the environment.
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