What Lies Beneath! Innovative FOG Technology to identify Infrastructure Issues in Newry Area
15 November 2024 14:13
NI Water is now operating innovative FOG technology, which allows us to identify properties where foul drains, which include drainage from bathrooms and washing machines, are misconnected to the stormwater drains/sewers.
Stormwater drains should only carry rainwater from roofs and driveways and this misconnection can cause environmental pollution in watercourses downstream.
NI Water’s Wastewater Production Lines Project Support Officer, William Acheson, explains:
“We have embarked on this essential programme of Sewer Misconnection Investigation Works initially in the Newry Drainage area.
“A ‘FOG’ machine, which produces an artificial fog, or mist, is pumped into the sewer through a manhole in the street. As the FOG builds up within the pipe, it will escape through various connections to the sewer.
“Where a misconnection exists, we will be able to see the FOG coming out of the vent pipe at the customer’s property. It may also come out of road gullies and manholes within the street if these misconnections are connected to the public sewer.
“The wastewater infrastructure in the Newry area is currently over capacity and closed for future development, so this FOG testing is a quicker way of detecting areas where there are issues with our infrastructure.
“We appreciate the support of the community as we work to deliver this essential scheme in the coming months.”
The FOG technology is safe and fully biodegradable and disappears quickly after the test and the main contractor for this work is AG Wilson, with sub-contractor Amelio.
A project video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/LbcAL6nHjog
ENDS
For further information, please email press.office@niwater.com
· Beware of Bogus Callers – if you are concerned about the identity of someone at your door, you can call the PSNI non-emergency number ‘101’ where you will have the option of a ‘Quickcheck’ to confirm the caller is from the utility they say they are.
· Do not let children go near work sites or equipment, this can be extremely dangerous.
· Information on water supply issues affecting your property are also available 24/7 simply by logging onto http://www.niwater.com/current-service-updates/