Wokingham Borough Council is trialling smart drainage sensors to help deal with flooding in the borough.
These have been placed at key locations in Earley and Arborfield to provide real-time data on sewers to allow the council to resolve issues before or as they arise rather than after.
The ultrasonic sensors measure silt and water levels. They will remain in place as part of the trial until the end of 2021. Then the success of the system will be assessed with the potential to roll it out across the borough.
The project is part of a series of innovations across the borough’s roads by the council and its Wokingham Highways Alliance partners, WSP and VolkerHighways.
The innovation programme has already brought other projects to the borough including trialling plastic kerbstones that have a reduced carbon footprint and are easier to install.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said: “We continue to look at ways we can use innovative and green technologies on the roads around the borough. We know if we can better manage and monitor our drainage system then we’ll be able to reduce congestion and be better informed about locations where we can carry out maintenance work.
“Systems like this have been successfully implemented elsewhere and I look forward to seeing the results of this. If the trial works successfully we will investigate whether they can be rolled out across more locations.”
Some of the information the sensors provide include:
- Ability to monitor the condition of gullies, meaning maintenance work takes place when it’s needed
- Assess if gullies need cleaning
- Better targeting of preventative maintenance work
- Detection of water levels and blockages to reduce disruption which improves journey times and reduces congestion.
The council’s drainage network includes more than 238km of pipework, more than 4,000 manholes and 32,000 gullies.