Smart Tech, Smarter Spending
Flooding is a growing financial burden for councils. Surface water flooding alone accounts for millions in annual infrastructure damage, road closures, property claims, and emergency response costs. With climate change driving heavier rainfall and ageing drainage systems already under strain, the need for affordable, scalable flood mitigation is clear.
The good news? Councils don’t need major civil engineering works to make a difference. Smart water technologies like those from AQUAIOT offer quick, cost-effective upgrades that ease pressure on existing systems and protect local communities.
Where Flood Costs Hit Councils the Hardest
- 🌧 Blocked gullies and overwhelmed drains
- 🏚 Residential damage claims and tenant compensation
- 🚧 Road closures and emergency callouts
- 🛠 Repeated reactive maintenance
- 🌍 Missed sustainability and Net Zero targets
Investing in smarter prevention not only reduces these costs — it builds public trust and supports long-term resilience goals.
Simple Smart Upgrades That Make a Big Impact
1. Smart Water Butts
These aren’t ordinary water storage tanks. AQUAIOT’s smart water butts collect rainfall from roofs and release it automatically before heavy rainfall events, freeing capacity and reducing peak runoff. Ideal for housing estates, schools, and council-owned buildings.
- Remote-controlled and data-driven
- Proven to reduce surface water pressure
- Part of Yorkshire Water’s Rain to Drain programme
2. Gully and Sewer Level Monitors
Detect blocked gullies or rising sewer levels before they overflow. AQUAIOT’s sensors send real-time alerts so teams can act early — preventing floods, not reacting to them.
- Quick to deploy on existing infrastructure
- Works with public LoRaWAN for reduced costs
- Already rolled out with Anglian Water
3. Rainwater Network Monitoring
Get a big-picture view of local drainage stress. By combining gully, sewer, and smart butt data, councils can identify high-risk areas and plan future upgrades strategically, not reactively.
Budget-Friendly and Scalable
AQUAIOT’s systems are designed to be:
- ✅ Low maintenance
- ✅ Retrofittable (no need for disruptive works)
- ✅ Modular — scale from a pilot to borough-wide deployment
- ✅ Cost-effective — no rip-and-replace required
By using public LoRaWAN networks, many of these solutions avoid costly data infrastructure upgrades, making them ideal for councils working under budget constraints.
Case Study Snapshot: Anglian Water & AQUAIOT
In partnership with Anglian Water, AQUAIOT helped prevent overflows in 4,000 vacuum sewer pots, cutting emergency response costs by hours and avoiding up to £16 million in annual flood damage.
Next Steps for Councils
Smart upgrades don’t have to be complex. Starting small — with smart water butts on council estates, or gully monitors in known trouble spots — allows you to build a data-driven approach that improves over time.