New technology helping identify sewer blockages sooner

A trial of new technology in Greater Western Water’s sewer network is helping to detect and prevent sewer spills well before they happen.

The StormHarvester technology allows for a more proactive approach to sewer blockages, helping teams detect early signs of stress and address problems before they lead to overflows or spills.

So far, the trial has helped prevent five incidents from turning into potential major blockages.

The trial is also allowing greater collaboration between GWW's Integrated Asset Planning and Service Delivery teams to drive more effective outcomes out in the field, GWW General Manager Asset Planning and Delivery Ian Burton said.

"Catching issues early prevents spills and reduces environmental impacts and is an important part of our commitment to caring for Country.

"This technology is helping identify issues sometimes before it even appears there is a problem."

The trial began in January this year and involves continuous monitoring of sewer and rainfall levels, with data analysed using AI-machine learning looking at the potential for blockages in sewer pipes.

Data anomalies detected by the technology trigger an early alert system, with any issues then verified and addressed by GWW crews.

Over the past six months, the trial has given GWW operators additional visibility and insights of the sewer network's performance across multiple locations.

StormHarvester technology helped GWW to detect a sewer blockage in the Melton area

One example involved an alert by the StormHarvester system in mid-July, following an anomaly detected in a sewer pipe near an industrial area in the Melton region. Crews who initially attended the site were unable to see evidence of an issue.

However, following a second alert later that day, the team discovered a manhole had been holding water and a large blockage was then found downstream.

Crews then successfully cleared the blockage using jetting, noting that this early detection prevented a spill occurring.

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