Analytics predict sewer-system blockages

Jan. 31, 2019
Model can detect blockages as soon as 13 hours before a spill occurs

Picture this: A state-wide sewer system with 970 water- and sewage-pumping stations, a portion of which are high-risk sites with prior spills; 176,000 sewer connections; and an average of 2,000 sewer main breaks and spills in a year.

When this sewer system, located at an environmentally significant site at Midway Point in Tasmania, spilled in August 2017, the statewide water utility sought a way to not only reduce the likelihood of another spill, but also predict future incidents to ensure that preventive measures can be taken.

Our sister website, SmartIndustry.com, explores how the utility developed an online sewer-blockage detection system using data from the process historian and Seeq software to detect blockages as soon as 13 hours before a spill occurs.

Read the case study on SmartIndustry.com.