United Utilities
- map16 Asset Management
- Mar 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 30
Manhole Monitors
How it started
In 2020, map16 partnered with Sapphire Utility Solutions to support United Utilities, one of the UK’s largest water and wastewater providers. Supplying over seven million people across the North West of England, United Utilities needed a smarter way to manage its complex wastewater and sewer network operations.
The partnership began with a pilot of six devices, testing the capabilities of the map16 Smart Utility Platform to digitise previously manual processes - from mapping unmarked sewers to managing condition surveys and defect remediation workflows.
Following strong early results, the platform scaled rapidly to support 145 field users and 500 web users, becoming central to United Utilities’ Flying Start programme and supporting major initiatives such as Enhanced Targeting, Core Activities, SSP, and ODI projects.
The solution
Building on this success, map16 designed, built, and deployed 3,330 EX2 wastewater monitors for United Utilities. Each smart sensor uses a 4G connection with SMS backup, ensuring reliable performance across thousands of manholes in high-risk locations.
All monitoring data feeds directly into the map16 Smart Utility Platform, allowing teams to:
Set custom alert thresholds
Monitor live device performance
Gather pre-site survey data
Track installation progress in real time
The platform now supports over 20,000 connected wastewater sensors across multiple contractors, standardising workflows and integrating seamlessly with CCTV survey outputs. This unified approach enables proactive sewer network management and faster, data-driven decision-making.
The benefits
United Utilities has seen significant improvements in early blockage detection, response times, and operational efficiency.
In one example, a sudden change in water levels triggered an automatic alert, enabling cleansing crews to identify a FOG (fats, oils, and grease) blockage before it caused property flooding. Early warnings like this have prevented costly incidents and reduced environmental impact across the network.
By combining IoT wastewater monitoring, data analytics, and field operations management, map16 continues to help United Utilities deliver smarter, more sustainable wastewater services for communities across the North West.
