Intelligent Pumping Supports United Utilities’ CSO Programme

United Utilities has begun rolling out hundreds of intelligent wastewater pumping systems as part of a major programme to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) spills across north-west England.

The utility has partnered with Xylem to deploy 330 Flygt Concertor intelligent pumping systems complete with Nexicon pre-programmed pump controllers. The investment forms part of United Utilities’ wider programme to improve wastewater infrastructure and deliver environmental improvements across its network.

United Utilities is working at pace to deliver its largest environmental investment plan which includes improvements to storm overflow sites and a target to reduce spills by 60% by 2030.

The scale of the programme reflects the increasing focus across the UK water sector on reducing storm overflow spills while improving the resilience and efficiency of wastewater networks. 

AMP8, the current 2025-2030 asset management period, is seeing significant investment in wastewater infrastructure and environmental improvements as water companies work to meet regulatory and environmental commitments.

Intelligent pumping for wastewater networks

Flygt Concertor combines a pump, intelligent controls and monitoring capabilities in a single system. The technology is designed to automatically adapt to changing operating conditions to deliver clog-free and self-cleaning pumping while helping utilities improve performance, reduce unplanned maintenance and callouts and lower energy consumption.

For wastewater operators managing large and increasingly demanding networks, the ability to standardise pumping equipment while also improving operational performance can offer significant benefits. Intelligent pumping technology can help reduce the reliance on reactive maintenance while giving operators greater consistency across pumping stations.

The approach also reflects the wider move towards smarter wastewater infrastructure in the UK. Modern pumping systems can combine pumping equipment with control and monitoring technology to respond more effectively to changing flows and operating conditions.

Andrew Welsh, water utilities director, Xylem, and Dan Heywood, standardisation manager, United Utilities, showcased the partnership at the 2026 Water Equipment Show during a joint presentation about the evolution of pumping technology.

Welsh highlighted how the Flygt Concertor system has been deployed by four UK water companies across a total of 900 stations.

The four companies using the technology have seen a range of outcomes including:

• Between 13-40% reduction in energy
• 85% reduction in pump and parts inventory
• 90-93% reduction in reactive attendance visits
• Return on investment within one year – with biggest savings from fewer maintenance requirements and reactive calls outs

These results demonstrate the potential impact of intelligent wastewater pumping beyond the performance of an individual pump. By combining equipment standardisation with intelligent controls utilities can target energy efficiency while also reducing maintenance requirements and the number of reactive visits to pumping stations.

The benefits are particularly relevant as UK water companies invest heavily in wastewater infrastructure during AMP8. Standardisation can also help simplify maintenance and spare parts management across large networks where hundreds or thousands of pumping assets may otherwise require different equipment and components.

United Utilities deploys 330 intelligent pumping systems

United Utilities selected the Flygt Concertor solution in late 2025 following an extensive evaluation including site visits to other water companies and analysis of operational data.

Installation of 330 Concertor systems was agreed with the first system commissioned in April 2026. In total these deployments will support 77% of the company’s CSO improvement programme.

The scale of the deployment makes standardisation an important consideration. Rather than managing multiple pump types and associated spare parts across a large number of sites United Utilities is using a standardised approach to simplify maintenance and support the accelerated delivery of its CSO programme.

Heywood said: “We required a standard product design that could be deployed at scale to facilitate an accelerated CSO programme across sites with varying system conditions and performance requirements.

“To focus on standardisation, we’ve now got one of three pumps across 330 sites and projects – that means for maintenance we’re only carrying one set of three types of spares.

“We’ve had great collaboration and support from Xylem, from concept design to commissioning. We are now exploring how we can build on this with Xylem’s wider digital services.”

The emphasis on standardisation is significant for large wastewater networks where maintenance teams need to respond quickly to equipment issues. Reducing the number of different pump types and spare parts required can simplify inventory management while also helping maintenance engineers work more consistently across multiple sites.

The partnership also highlights how the role of wastewater pumping technology is changing. Rather than viewing pumps solely as individual mechanical assets utilities are increasingly looking at how pumping systems can contribute to wider operational and environmental objectives.

From wastewater pumps to intelligent network management

Welsh said: “At Xylem, we see the evolution of pumping as a journey – looking at where the industry has been, what we’ve achieved over recent AMP cycles and where we’re going.

“Advances include clog-free pumping, smarter control, greater energy efficiency, automated sump cleaning, remote monitoring and, ultimately, fully optimised catchment management across the network.

“It’s encouraging to work with organisations like United Utilities who are on that journey and recognise how innovation can improve operations.

“We’ve been fortunate to work with every wastewater framework across the UK and Ireland, so we understand the challenges water companies face. With £12 billion being invested during AMP8, it’s vital that investment goes into solutions that deliver measurable, long-term impact.”

The comments underline the broader evolution of wastewater pumping from conventional equipment towards connected and intelligent systems.

Clog-free pumping and automated sump cleaning can help address one of the persistent challenges associated with wastewater pumping stations: blockages and the maintenance activity required to deal with them. Smarter control and remote monitoring meanwhile provide opportunities to improve visibility of assets and respond to changing conditions without relying solely on physical site visits.

This is particularly important as water companies seek to improve the performance of existing wastewater infrastructure while delivering environmental improvements. The UK’s AMP8 investment cycle is placing significant emphasis on environmental performance and the delivery of improvements across water and wastewater networks.

The longer-term objective described by Welsh is to move beyond optimising individual pumping stations towards greater visibility and control across entire catchments. This could allow pumping assets to form part of a wider network management strategy where operational data can support more informed decisions.

Whole-life value from intelligent pumping

Welsh went on to explain how the benefits of intelligent pumping can quickly outweigh initial investment. This is achieved through enhanced performance, fewer incidents and callouts, lower energy consumption and improved health and safety.

The financial case for intelligent pumping is therefore not limited to the initial purchase price of the equipment. Energy consumption maintenance requirements reactive attendance and spare parts can all contribute to the whole-life cost of a wastewater pumping asset.

One early adopter installed around 1,000 Concertor pumps across 500 pumping stations during AMP7 investing £4.1 million. The company achieved £5.4 million in operational savings over the remainder of the AMP recovering the capital investment within a year while continuing to see ongoing savings.

The example illustrates why whole-life performance is becoming an increasingly important consideration for water companies when assessing wastewater pumping equipment. A lower initial capital cost does not necessarily represent the lowest overall cost if an asset requires frequent maintenance consumes more energy or generates a high number of reactive site visits.

He said: “Pumps have historically been replaced largely based on serial numbers but the technology has evolved and there’s a smarter way.

“By focusing on whole-life performance rather than replacing assets like for like, water companies can see significantly greater value from their investment and accelerate the environmental outcomes the sector is striving to achieve.

“Our partnership with United Utilities just one example of what is possible with intelligent technology and shows what the future of pumping can look like.”

Supporting the future of UK wastewater infrastructure

United Utilities’ deployment of 330 Flygt Concertor systems demonstrates how intelligent pumping can form part of a wider strategy to modernise wastewater infrastructure and reduce the environmental impact of storm overflows.

The project combines several priorities facing the UK water industry including CSO reduction energy efficiency maintenance optimisation equipment standardisation and improved operational resilience.

With United Utilities deploying the systems across sites with varying conditions and performance requirements the programme also demonstrates the importance of technologies that can be standardised at scale while still adapting to individual operating conditions.

The wider direction of travel is clear. UK water companies are investing heavily in wastewater infrastructure during AMP8 while looking for technologies that can deliver measurable improvements in environmental performance and operational efficiency. Smart pumping is increasingly being considered as part of this wider transformation rather than simply as a replacement for conventional pumping equipment.

For United Utilities the 330-system deployment represents a major step in its CSO improvement programme. For the wider water industry it provides another example of how intelligent wastewater pumping technology can contribute to reducing operational costs while supporting environmental targets.

As the sector continues to invest in reducing storm overflow spills and improving the resilience of wastewater networks the focus is increasingly shifting towards solutions that deliver value across the entire life of an asset.

The partnership between United Utilities and Xylem demonstrates how intelligent pumps combined with standardisation monitoring and smarter controls can support that transition.

Xylem UK