2. A large contributor to discoloured water is illegal access of the Severn Trent network. This is when people attach
equipment to draw off water without our permission, a criminal offence.
Often, the equipment used does not comply with STW Standards and can send discoloured water directly to our
customers. Whilst we have no reason to believe it's a risk to health, it is not as appetising as a clear glass of water.
This costs STW in the region of £15 million a year.
WOULD YOU DRINK BROWN WATER?
3. STANDPIPES
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Using a standpipe like this will increase flow through the network which
will in turn, raise sediment from pipes which discoloured the water.
Whereas using a thinner standpipe like this will regulate the flow and
reduce the risk of raising sediment, keeping water clear.
4. WHAT HAVE WE DONE ABOUT IT?
In order to reduce the likelihood of discolored water, Severn Trent have chosen to install a
‘Hydrant Cap’ to all hydrants and washouts that are at risk to water quality. This is a small
plastic cap that screws to the top of the asset and can only be opened by a bespoke key. They
also offer additional protection to our assets.
Having these hydrant caps means we have more control of which assets our customers can use.
13. SUCCESSES
• Easy to show capped locations
• Visual key to show asset status
• User friendly, great feedback from contractor
• Speeds up fitting process
• Ensured we could meet our 8 week deadline
• We could host data shared on devices not owned by STW
• Data now visible on GISST Viewer
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14. LESSONS LEARNT
For the other seven areas, we will split the maps into smaller areas to improve performance.
The devices used should be no less than 1.2Gb
Keep photos at a low resolution to reduce storage space
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