Bristol Water has introduced a new intelligent pumping and storage optimisation system that chooses the times the company pumps water, which pumps to use, and the route the water takes through the system.

It calculates the best and most efficient way to move around 100 million tonnes of water a year round the water company’s network. In addition, if any of its production sites are out of service the system automatically re-routes water from a different site, making the network more resilient.

The system will help make savings to Bristol Water’s running costs - moving that amount of water around is costly both in terms of money and energy. It will also reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 300 tonnes.

David Smith, Asset Management and Production Director, Bristol Water commented:

“As we go about our daily lives, it’s fair to say most of us wouldn’t give a thought about the massive operation going on under our feet. It is systems such as this that help us make people’s lives better, by making us more efficient so we can reduce bills and provide a more reliable service. But not only that, it helps us do our bit for the planet, by reducing our carbon emissions helping to tackle the climate crisis”

To introduce the system Bristol Water has worked with Suez Advanced Solutions over the last 3 years to make the transition possible. The first few sites started using the system in September 2019 with a full takeover expected by the end of November.