Southern Water has successfully leveraged artificial intelligence to prevent wastewater pump failures, saving an estimated £748,000 and avoiding potential pollution incidents. The technology, developed by Samotics, uses advanced condition monitoring to identify early signs of mechanical issues in submerged pumping equipment.
Following a successful pilot program in 2024, Southern Water began deploying the AI-based SAM4 system across its wastewater network, with a target of installing up to 3,500 devices by the end of 2025. The current rollout includes 637 critical pumps, with the goal of expanding to 750 assets in the initial phase.
The SAM4 technology continuously monitors pumps by capturing up to 20,000 data points per second, allowing it to detect irregularities such as airlocks, cavitation, and clogging before they escalate into failures. Alerts triggered by the system enable Southern Water’s operations teams to respond proactively and conduct targeted maintenance.
The deployment is part of Southern Water’s broader strategy to improve infrastructure resilience and reduce pollution incidents
The system detected signs of potential failure at multiple pump stations. One incident at Lydd Road Camber revealed cavitation and a failed pump, prompting timely intervention. Another event at Vicarage Road Strood involved a double airlock across three pumps, while a third incident saw a repeated airlock on the same pump shortly after initial repairs. In each case, early alerts allowed technicians to resolve the issues before they led to service disruptions or environmental damage.
“Samotics offers us an innovative perspective on our assets, unveiling insights into previously hidden situations. This newfound visibility empowers us to make informed, proactive decisions that significantly improve our maintenance efficiency, ensuring we have the right personnel in the right locations at the right time for a successful first-time fix,” said Austin Phillips, Operational Capex Implementation Manager at Southern Water.
The deployment is part of Southern Water’s broader strategy to improve infrastructure resilience and reduce pollution incidents. “Unplanned failures of critical equipment can lead to a negative impact on our customers, the environment and results in increased operational costs,” said Daniel McElhinney of Southern Water. “To mitigate this, we are deploying this new AI tool, which provides near real-time data to detect early signs of equipment failure.”
Samotics’ AM4 platform is specifically suited for submerged and hard-to-reach industrial assets. “SAM4 is the leading solution to remotely monitor hard-to-reach pumps. By installing our hardware in pumping equipment, our technology detects early signs of mechanical issues, electrical faults and blockages so that maintenance can be carried out, only when required,” said Tom Swain, Head of UK and Ireland at Samotics.
