Southwest Water AI Trial: “Cutting sewage contamination”

Kirk EnglandSouthwest Environment and Tourism Correspondent

AI can help identify changes in water levels within a network that may indicate whether or not a blockage occurs in the sewer system

Workers at BBC High-Viz's water company say that clothing is spraying water jets from the pressure washer into the sewer. The open manhole is surrounded by red plastic health and safety fencing. — AI can help identify changes in water levels within a network that may indicate whether or not a blockage occurs in the sewer system

Tests using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict whether sewerage is blocked has helped reduce pollution, Southwest Water says.

AI will help analyze data from 12,000 sensors on the network, monitor how water levels are rising and falling, and determine if sewerage is blocked, and is about to overflow, the project leader said.

“We estimate that about 200 pollution has been prevented,” said Helen Dobby from SWW, adding the system to “add 12,000 pairs of eyes to the network.”

The company said the program is part of a plan to improve environmental performance after receiving a rating from utility regulators as “need to improve.”

AI is used to analyze water level data from sensors in sewer networks and helps identify blockages when they occur

The sww features a historic brick sewer system and an arched chamber filled with a large amount of fat and grease that has accumulated. — AI is used to analyze water level data from sensors in sewer networks and helps identify blockages when they occur

As it was developed over two years as part of the trial, AI also used the process time for CCTV footage of sewage infrastructure to look for defects and blockages in sewage pipes, Boss said.

“It's much faster to do common tasks that people on the premises can take up a lot of time,” said Joshua Milan, data scientist at SWW, who began to consider how AI could be used to identify sewer issues while a doctoral student.

“AI is trained with human-labeled images… operatives can investigate more networks and capture more problems before they arise.”

This trial is because Nanxi Water's performance continues to face scrutiny.

The failure to runoff from sewage and wastewater treatment operations resulted in a £24 million execution package earlier this year after a three-year investigation by regulators.

Josh Myrans helped to evaluate sewer networks and develop the use of AI to find blockages

A man in a white shirt sits in an office in front of a large monitor with CCTV footage of the sewer — Josh Myrans helped to evaluate sewer networks and develop the use of AI to find blockages

The AI project states that “extensive monitoring of an environment using AI will allow us to understand it and manage it better.”

He states: “At this point, we rely on people who do the tedious task of watching CCTV, usually done by surveyors, in the cold, behind the van.

“There are a lot of tasks like this. We're people trying to do it and the machines turn out to be very good.”

AI is also used to analyze CCTVs in pipework to find blocked or broken pipes

Still image of CCTV of SWW sewer pipes. The AI draws a red box around the block of roots growing into the pipe. Red box reads as — AI is also used to analyze CCTVs in pipework to find blocked or broken pipes

“Grease, fat, wet wipes” were some of the things that could block sewerage, said Peter Corps, SWW's catchment operator.

After cleaning sewers for 12 years, the Legion urged people to be more considerate about what they went to the toilets and sinks, urging them to “don't wash them, bottles.”

He said: “You've got to have a pipe problem, but most of the time it's sadly dependent on what people have flashed.”

Helen Dobby said the trial prevented about 200 pollution and found up to 100 blockages in the SWW sewer network

A woman in brown hair, a green jacket and crack shirt stands from an office building. — Helen Dobby said the trial prevented about 200 pollution and found up to 100 blockages in the SWW sewer network

SWW said the trial is part of a pollution case reduction plan, “the basis of improving performance,” after being evaluated two out of four stars for environmental performance.

Helen Dobby, head of environmental performance, admitted that “two stars are not where we want to be.”

She said: “We're increasing the training of new wastewater operatives, and we have a capital investment programme that is greater than £760 million than we previously proposed, and we're putting it into reducing Storm Overflow, so this initiative works with them.”

Southwest Water offers water and sewer services to Devon and Cornwall, as well as small portions of Dorset and Somerset.

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