South East Water (Tuesday, 19 May) provides a progress update on critical infrastructure and digital upgrades aimed at mitigating future outage risks and transforming customer support during interruptions.
Recruitment drive
The drinking water company is expanding its operational and engineering teams, dedicating maintenance workers to preventative critical equipment replacement to reduce unplanned outages at treatment works and booster stations.
Two new functions have been created to support infrastructure and digital innovation. The Investment Directorate will oversee critical assets, including the Broad Oak Water Reservoir, which, when operational, will supply up to 22 million litres of water daily. The Transformation, Technology and Insight Directorate will lead digital transformation, using advanced analytics from smart meters to optimise network performance and improve customer experience.
Water quality review
A comprehensive review of the coagulation* processes and controls across all relevant water treatment works is complete. All relevant works have been assessed and a review has produced a prioritised list of improvement actions. This will ensure that lessons are learned from the incident at Pembury Water Treatment Works in December 2025 and are applied across the entire network, strengthening water quality protection for customers.
Digital innovation for emergency response and working with the community
South East Water has developed an internal app for bottled water stations. Using AI the app provides real-time visibility of stock levels, flow rates and water usage, enabling the operations team to predict when stations will require restocking and respond proactively.
The drinking water company is also hosting a series of alternative water events across its supply area, bringing together stakeholders, local support groups, local authority resilience leads, councils, and water sector partners to collaborate and develop bespoke alternative water plans tailored to each region’s unique needs. The first workshop has been completed in Kent, with Sussex and western region events to follow.
Bewl Water Treatment Works to Rotherfield Transfer Main
As previously announced, engineering work to the 12-kilometre pipeline is complete, with final tests underway. When operational this will allow Bewl Water Treatment Works to distribute drinking water to the Wadhurst area of Sussex for the first time.
Priority Services Register enhancement
South East Water has signed a new contract with Water Direct to enhance operational capacity and support for vulnerable customers registered on its Priority Services Register. This partnership strengthens the company’s on the ground capacity to deliver tailored support to customers who may need additional assistance during supply interruptions, including elderly residents, families with young children, and people with medical conditions.
Douglas Whitfield, Water Supply Director at South East Water, said: “Today’s update demonstrates our commitment to learning from incidents and making lasting improvements to our operations.
“The establishment of our dedicated planned maintenance team will improve our efforts to proactively repair assets that prevents failures before they impact customers. Our investment in digital systems is transforming how we respond to incidents, giving our teams the real-time information they need to keep alternative water supplies flowing when customers need them most.
“Most importantly, we’ve moved away from treating resilience as a standalone initiative and have fully integrated this into our broader transformation plan, which incorporates our current business plan commitment and positions South East Water for long-term, sustainable improvement.”
*Coagulation is a critical stage in water treatment that removes impurities, and its effective operation is essential for maintaining water quality and treatment capacity.
