The region’s water management organisation has teamed with a monitoring solutions company to identify and address sewer overflows before they occur.
Barwon Water and Australian Internet of Things specialist Kallipr have begun trialling new sensors to provide early warnings of potential blockages that could result in sewer spills, which harm the environment and disrupt the lives of community members.
Barwon Water’s general manager of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure David Snadden said the trial used smart analytics to improve the efficiency of proactive maintenance of the sewerage network.
“This is one more step in our transition from reacting to disruptive and damaging spills, to proactively identifying issues and acting quickly to prevent them,” Mr Snadden said.
“The sensors will help us to spot the warning signs of a spill and to stop them before they occur, allowing us to direct our resources into timely and high-value maintenance.”
Barwon Water spends approximately $600,000 every year to deal with the impact of sewer spills, such as the infamous ‘fatberg’ removed from central Geelong last year.
As such, the organisation has committed to moving toward zero spills throughout its 2200km network of sewerage infrastructure.
Kallipr chief executive Gerhard Loots said the trial used next-generation monitoring such as the all-in-one radar device Spectra, which uses AI intelligence to detect changes in water levels.
“Spectra combines precision radar sensing with onboard intelligence to detect sewer issues earlier and more accurately,” Mr Loots said.
“Local analysis on the device means crews get faster alerts, fewer false alarms and can focus resources where they’ll make the biggest difference – protecting both the river and the network.”
Visit www.barwonwater.vic.gov.au/about-us/research-and-development for more information on Barwon Water’s research, development and innovation program.
