Root of all Evil removed in Whitstable

Spring is in the air and everything is growing – including roots into our sewer system near Whitstable.

Our AI-enabled smart sewer system detected a blockage forming in one of our pipes. Left unchecked the manhole would have overflowed with sewage. 

It is located near a surface water line that runs into several smaller watercourses, then into Whitstable Harbour – with its much-loved bathing waters and shellfish beds.

Blocked sewers are the single biggest cause of pollution incidents – from manholes spilling into streams to gardens filling with sewage. But the very worst kind is internal flooding where sewers back up and pour into sinks, showers and loos.

But now, thanks to around 34,000 sewer lever monitors, we can constantly check on flows and spot anything out of the ordinary which might highlight a blockage or leak. This is what led us to the Rowner area to clear out the nasty fatberg.

The system has led to more than 4,000 interventions by block-busting teams in the past year.

The commonest cause of blockages is flushed wet wipes along with cooking fat, oil and grease tipped down the sink instead of properly disposed of.

But roots puncturing or blocking pipes are a known cause of blockages. Since last April, we’ve dealt with 47 instances. Of course, that is dwarfed by the 1729 caused by wet wipes and other ‘unflushables’.

Daniel McElhinney, Proactive Operations Control Manager at Southern Water, said:

“Our smart sensors measure the level of sewage flowing under manholes in blockage hotspots. However, the real innovation is how machine learning or artificial intelligence, learns the normal behaviour of sewers and can tell the difference between morning and evening rushes, rain in the system and a blockage forming.

“Instead of turning up after the event to clean up and commiserate with devastated customers, we’re spotting hundreds of potential blockages before it’s too late so our teams can scramble round with high pressure water jets to clear the sewer.”

Most customers do not realise the average suburban sewer is only the diameter of an orange or a tennis ball. It doesn’t take much cooking fat to combine with other ‘unflushables’ such as sanitary products, wet wipes or even ear cleaning sticks, to form a fatberg.

After detecting sewer blockages, our teams call round the neighbourhood to tell them about close calls and educate them on how to keep sewers flowing freely.