Photo: Iceye

Iceye has teamed up with a major water utility company in the U.K., as it looks to improve its flood and wastewater management capabilities. It is working with Severn Trent, a company that serves over 8 million customers in the U.K. The deal has been described as “transformational” by the water company. Iceye announced the collaboration, Dec. 16.

Severn Trent is leveraging Iceye’s Flood Insights Solution, powered by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, to monitor inundation to its wastewater assets. The deal is an interesting one for the U.K. market and could be seen as marking a significant shift in how the industry tackles flooding and storm-related disruptions. The relationship began by assessing how past floods impacted critical infrastructure in Shrewsbury, one of England’s most flood-prone towns due to the River Severn, and is now expanding access across the company’s full service area.

Following severe weather, Iceye’s satellite data will enable Severn Trent to rapidly assess flood extent and depth. By integrating Iceye’s data into its existing GIS and applying data science to analyse its sensor readings, Severn Trent is able to get a better understanding of the impact of river flooding on its waste network. Severn Trent uses this capability to improve incident transparency and identify preventative measures to mitigate inundation and its impact on wastewater management services.

“This is a transformational step forward for us. Iceye’s satellite technology gives us a clear view of what’s happened on the ground during extreme weather despite cloud coverage. Having a better understanding of how inundation affects our assets enables us to plan interventions and optimize how our network performs to minimise impacts for our customers and the environment,” Richard Walwyn, head of Asset Intelligence and Innovation, Severn Trent, said in a statement.