Devon County Council has announced it has appointed technology company Previsico to trial connected water and silt level sensors along a subset of Devon’s highway gullies.

This forms part of the on-going Devon Resilience Innovation Project (Drip) Smart Gullies Trial, which aims reduce flooding on major roads. During heavy rainfall, gullies and drains can become blocked when mud or stones are swept onto the road by water.

The trial will see Previsico’s connected sensors assessed on their capacity to inform gully clearing schedules and work as a warning system for flooding. The sensors will be installed in four locations across Devon including rural and urban areas from autumn 2023 to spring 2025, reports New Civil Engineer.

Previsico specialises in real-time flood forecasting that provides early warnings to enable flood mitigation. Its technology is built on live hydrodynamic modelling software and sensors that deliver insights to end users.

Pilot data will be captured over two winters, with DCC’s highways and flood and coastal risk management teams to work together to adapt gully maintenance schedules based on the data findings.

The trial is funded through the government’s £200m Flood and Coastal Risk Innovation Programme.