AI sewers helping to prevent flooding

Artificial Intelligence is now being used to help prevent flooding in West Sussex, according to Southern Water. The company has installed digital sensors in the sewer system that monitor the flow of water. These sensors work with AI, which has been trained to understand what normal water flow looks like in the sewers. The AI can tell the difference between the usual busy times, like mornings and evenings, when more people are using water, and it can also detect when there is rainwater in the system or when a blockage is starting to form.

On June 16, in East Lavington near Petworth, the sensors detected a blockage in the sewer caused by a fatberg. A fatberg is a large, solid mass that forms when cooking fat mixes with items that should not be flushed, such as wet wipes, sanitary products, and ear cleaning sticks. Because the AI noticed the problem early, Southern Water was able to send a team to clear the blockage before it caused any flooding in people’s homes or gardens. Daniel McElhinney, who manages proactive operations control at Southern Water, said that the company is now able to spot hundreds of potential blockages before they turn into serious issues.

Blocked sewers are the biggest cause of pollution incidents, but since using AI, Southern Water has reduced internal flooding by 40 percent and external flooding by 15 percent. The company has about 32,000 sewer level monitors that constantly check the flow of water and can quickly spot anything unusual, such as a blockage or a leak. Mr McElhinney pointed out that most people do not realize how small the average suburban sewer is—it is only as wide as an orange or a tennis ball. It does not take much cooking fat to combine with other items and create a fatberg. This is why it is important for people to avoid flushing things that do not belong in the toilet. Thanks to the use of AI and digital sensors, many homes in West Sussex are now better protected from the risk of flooding caused by blocked sewers.