Impact of Trees on Sewer Network

An aerial map of trees has been developed to understand the damage caused to underground drains and sewers by tree roots by researchers at Cranfield University, U.K.

Working with long-term data from Anglian Water, Cranfield considered the location of infrastructure assets such as pipes and manhole covers and their proximity to trees and compared this spatial information with records of maintenance jobs. By using Bluesky's National Tree Map data for the whole of East Anglia, scientists were able to show the likely zones of root intrusion, and the impact these trees had on the number / frequency of sewer blockages and other consequences.

The study revealed that bigger trees had less impact than medium-sized trees, and that foul sewer systems were most prone to intrusion.

Dr Timothy Farewell, senior research fellow at the Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, said: "Tree roots are only one of many environmental factors which can lead to infrastructure failure. However, tree roots are very good at exploiting weaknesses in sewer joints. Root intrusion into sewers can cause significant problems including blockages and significant serviceability issues. Trees can also impact on other underground assets by exacerbating soil related ground movement through fluctuations in soil water content."

Source: WWT

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