NI Water is using innovative FOG technology 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 - misconnections can cause environmental pollution in watercourses downstream.

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NI Water’s Wastewater Production Lines Project Support Officer, William Acheson, said:

“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 water company said the wastewater infrastructure in the Newry area is currently over capacity and closed for future development. The FOG testing is a quicker way of detecting areas where there are issues with wastewater infrastructure. The FOG technology is safe and fully biodegradable and disappears quickly after the test - the main contractor for this work is AG Wilson, with sub-contractor Amelio.