The discharge of combined sewer overflows (CSO) during rain events and the efficient operation of the sewer system can be a challenge for sewer network operators. Discharges into water bodies will probably have to be reduced even further in future due to new regulations. Long dry weather periods and deposits have a negative impact on the substance of sewer networks and shorten the lifetime of the infrastructure. Activating unused storage volume in the sewer can be an efficient and cost-effective alternative to building new storage volume. One possibility for predictive sewer maintenance can be the use of flushing waves from backed-up wastewater. Basically, sewer network control can utilize a lot of potential and help to overcome future challenges. This report from an application-oriented research project in the city of Jena shows the implementation and modelling of a modified floodgate in SWMM. The Results show the gained storage volume, the reduction of combined sewer discharge and flushing velocities for possible sewer flushing.
Suárez et al. (2026) studied this question.