Derby students make a splash in national water innovation competition

As part of a work placement with global engineering consultancy COWI, year 10 students Zak Wood and Abdullahi Hamza from The Bemrose School, created an innovative presentation exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) spills — a major environmental issue where heavy rainfall causes sewers to discharge a mix of wastewater and stormwater into rivers and seas.

Their solution, which impressed judges in the UK Water Prize competition, involved integrating social media with Google Maps to provide real-time alerts about flood risks. The idea aims to inform and empower communities to take action quickly and help prevent the harmful impact of CSO spills on local waterways.

The two students travelled to London to present their idea to a panel of industry experts, showcasing not only their technical knowledge but also their passion for protecting the environment.

Zak Wood said: “I was really nervous at first, but once I got started, I began to feel more confident. There were seven judges in total, split across three panels, and we had to present our idea to each one.

“We improved a lot throughout the day. After the first round, we reflected on what went well and what could be better, and by the final presentation, we’d really got to grips with it.

“Taking part in this project has definitely made me think more about the environment and how important it is to protect our water systems for the future.”

The idea for the presentation was developed during a week-long work experience placement at COWI’s Derby office, where the students collaborated with team members at Severn Trent Water to investigate how individuals’ everyday actions can affect foul water catchment areas and explore potential solutions.

As long-standing partners in the UK water sector, COWI and Severn Trent regularly work together on major engineering and infrastructure projects — a relationship that helped provide the students with valuable real-world insight.

Using Severn Trent Water’s modelling tools, they analysed the impact of urbanisation on a dummy catchment and used their findings to shape their final submission — an innovative, AI-led response to a real-world environmental challenge.

Abdullahi Hamza said: “Working on this project has been such a great experience. It really opened my eyes to how serious the problem of CSO spills is and how much potential there is to use technology like AI to make a difference.

“I enjoyed working as a team — we supported each other and kept improving every time we presented. It was amazing to go to London and share our idea with experts. I definitely feel more inspired to look at a career in engineering or environmental science now.”

The students travelled to London accompanied by a parent and were met by a COWI team member ahead of their presentation. With some time to spare after the event, they were able to take in a few of the capital’s iconic sights, including London Bridge and Big Ben.

Matt Viggars Head of Sector: Water and utilities at COWI, said:When we discovered the UK Junior Water Prize, we quickly identified the opportunity to collaborate with Severn Trent Water and support students from The Bemrose School.

“The prospect of combining two of our main ambitions around people and sustainable development was too good to miss.

“Inviting Zak Wood and Abdullahi Hamza to our office to participate in this exercise was a pleasure. They embraced the challenge, listened, researched, questioned, studied and prepared an excellent technical report.