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Sewer Model Calibration

Flow and rainfall monitoring designed to calibrate your hydraulic model, scored storm by storm.

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At a glance

  • Every 1 to 5 minutesFlow and rainfall logged at high resolution
  • At least three stormsBefore a calibration can be called verified
  • Published acceptance bandsPeak flow, event volume and peak timing scored
  • Ready for EPA SWMMRTK parameters, with SWMM 5, GeoJSON, Excel and CSV exports

A hydraulic model is only as good as the field data behind it. We design and run the monitoring that calibrates new models and brings existing ones back into line, from the first site visit to the final dataset.

To simulate a network properly, in dry weather and in storms, a model needs high-resolution flow and rainfall data from the pipes themselves.

Today’s modelling platforms can take flow and rainfall data in near real time. The limit is no longer the software. It’s the accuracy of what goes in.

Whether you’re building your first model or recalibrating an old one, we can help. We’ve worked with major councils and utilities across Australia, and we know what engineers need from data they have to stand behind.

Measured data can change the plan as well as the model. When a regional water authority recalibrated its model with temporary flow monitoring, infiltration proved well below what had been modelled. Rehabilitation funds were moved, and the high-risk catchments came first.

Looking down a manhole to a sensor bracket fixed across the invert of the pipe, with the sensor cable running up the shaft
A monitoring site: the sensor bracket across the bottom of the pipe, cabled to a logger at the top of the shaft. We choose sites by their hydraulics, so the model gets readings it can trust.

What a calibration program needs

High-resolution flow and rainfallFlow logged typically every 1 to 5 minutes, with rain gauges in the catchment, to capture storm peaks and the daily pattern.
Dry and wet weatherA model has to match the network in dry weather and in storms, so monitoring runs long enough to record both.
Sites chosen by their hydraulicsWe inspect hydraulics, access and the risk of rag or debris before a meter goes in.
Validated dataContinuous QA/QC, calibration checks and depth and velocity checks, so the model is never tuned to a faulty reading.

Calibration scored storm by storm

A single score across a whole record can look fine while the model misses every storm peak. EDS FlowSense scores each storm on its own, to the CIWEM UDG Code of Practice (2017).

  • Published acceptance bands

    Peak flow within −15% to +25%, event volume within −10% to +20%, and peak timing within one hour. An event passes on peak and volume together.

  • At least three storms

    A calibration needs three usable storms before it can be called verified. With fewer, it’s reported as insufficient, not quietly passed.

  • Validated on independent storms

    RTK hydrographs fitted to each catchment are checked against storms not used to fit them, with a scorecard for each.

  • Ready for your modelling platform

    RTK parameters compatible with EPA SWMM, and exports in EPA SWMM 5, GeoJSON, Excel and CSV.

Common questions

How long should calibration monitoring run?

Long enough to record dry weather flow and several big storms. A calibration needs at least three usable storms, so it depends on the season and the rain. Short programs commonly run 6 to 12 weeks.

Can you work with our existing model?

Yes. We deliver flow and rainfall data in formats modelling platforms can import, or by API.

Who carries out the calibration?

We design and run the monitoring, and can work through the calibration with your modelling team or consultant. FlowSense scorecards keep everyone on the same results.

How a program runs

From the first call to data you can act on.

  1. 01

    Scope and site selection

    Agree what the data has to answer, then choose sites by their hydraulics, not their convenience.

  2. 02

    Install and commission

    Trained EDS crews install intrinsically safe instruments, Australia-wide, and check every site before it goes live.

  3. 03

    Monitor and validate

    Readings arrive over 4G into FlowSense, with continuous QA/QC and alarms when something changes.

  4. 04

    Report and recommend

    Validated data and a report that shows where the problems are and what to fix first, or a feed into your model by API.

Talk to the people who measure it.

Tell us about your network, site or project. A real person from our team will come back to you.

Start an enquiry 1300 721 683