Scottish Water Uses Drones to Survey Sewers

Scottish Water has begun using drones and laser technology to help survey its sewer network in a safer, more efficient way, allowing access to “parts of the network that traditional surveying methods can’t reach.”

The new techniques, the utility said, will enable it “to more accurately assess the sewers’ condition and make key decisions about investment in maintenance or rehabilitation.” This, Scottish Water said, will “reduce the risk of leaks, collapses and environmental pollution” across a 33,000-mile network, some of which is from the Victorian era.

Scottish Water said the video here was made during a pilot period during the summer, in partnership with civil engineers Environmental Techniques and drone manufacturer Good Friday Robotics.

With the technology, Scottish Water said two workers could do the work of a team of 15, reducing carbon emissions from sewer surveys by as much as 80 percent, and helping the company reach its 2040 net-zero carbon target. Credit: Scottish Water via Storyful

Video transcript

[ENGINE HUMMING]

ROBERT LAPERE: Surveying sewers is essential for Scottish Water so we can understand the condition of our assets.

[ENGINE HUMMING]

Access can prove very difficult. Some of the surveys are extremely difficult to undertake. Man-entry into there could be dangerous.

SHONA HERRON: In the UK, there are thousands of unsurveyed pipelines. The main reason for that is there are very inaccessible, really deep, and large diameters [? here. ?] In the past, we've been putting a man down in to survey these large diameter, deep pipelines that couldn't be surveyed by other means. So not only are we saving the resource of people, it's also a lot safer.

ROBERT LAPERE: I've been very impressed so far. I think you know, we, at Scottish Water, put the question to CWA, and to Environmental Techniques, and then through Good Friday Robotics, into actually developing a system of surveying some very difficult pipelines.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Very impressed with it as an emerging technology. I think that could be a real, real game changer for the work that we're undertaking. You know, the accuracy that the LiDAR producers, you know, tracks the deterioration of the assets so that we'll know, will it last another 10, 15 years? Or do we need to invest now?

[MUSIC PLAYING]