Making drains smarter for Yarra Ranges Council

Fujitsu Australia, in collaboration with construction group Downer and Melbourne based electronics engineering and software development company EYEfi, has successfully trialled a ‘smart drains’ system that has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of flooding from overflowing stormwater drains.

The system has been piloted on drainage works being constructed by Downer for the Yarra Ranges Council in Victoria. It uses a network of ultrasonic and sensors and cameras that monitor drains in real time and can alert maintenance teams about blockages before heavy rainfall that would cause flooding if the drain remained blocked.

Ultrasonic sensors have been mounted in roadside stormwater drains to measure water levels. These communicate with cloud-based software developed by EYEfi to provide alerts for rising water every fifteen minutes.

A dashboard gives a view of the input from all sensors to provide management with a clear view of drain infrastructure to identify areas of focus.

OST5 June 2018