SOCRATIC is a smart effluent management solution that provides a fast, automated and reliable solution for the prevention of CSOs. Different to other solutions, SOCRATIC is specially designed to prevent CSO and it performs accurate and reliable results under all rain conditions (not only under heavy rain conditions) and, besides, SOCRATIC offers a solution customized for the needs of all kind of communities (not only aimed to big communities or large cities). While new infrastructures for higher retention capacities for rainwater cost around 750-1,000 € per m3 of stored water, SOCRATIC reaches 75 € - 100 € per m3. This allows also to small communities to implement our solution and secure environmental conditions on a tight mesh over the territory. Small communities are getting more important due to the trend of population moving from urban areas towards towns and rural areas.
CSOs contain chemical and microbiological pollution, hazardous substances and plastic litter, which can pose a health risk to humans, animals and the environment. The magnitude of the impacts of polluted CSOs depends on the frequency, duration and severity of CSO events, as well the quality of the excess water that is being discharged. The environmental impact of a CSO event is defined by the conditions of the receiving water body. Water bodies that are most at risk for CSO are water bodies that have one or more of the following characteristics: rivers with good or high ecological status and good or high chemical status, small or seasonal streams and stagnant waters. In addition, the risk to human health is higher where people are exposed to the polluted water, e.g. through bathing or other water-related leisure. Moreover, reducing CSO events means also reduce the hazard, i.e. illness in new-born infants, waterborne disease, toxicities, death of fishes.