About Us – New

Our Founder’s Story

In 2007, a partnership was formed between a utility, Charlotte Water, and academia to help solve a problem familiar to those working in collections system maintenance –

How can utilities understand where blockages are in their extensive underground network of sewer pipes, without wasting time and resources?

In the average utility, only 10-35% of pipes require near-term maintenance. However, using traditional time-based methods, it’s hard for operators to understand where those problem areas are, without spending significant money and resources.

Dr. Ivan Howitt, then a professor at UNC-Charlotte, wanted to explore whether acoustic technology could be a potential solution to this problem. With the help of funding from the National Science Foundation, he developed a portable tool using sound waves to rapidly assess sewer lines for blockages.

This new acoustic inspection technology, called the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool, or SL-RAT®, won WEF’s Innovative Technology Award in 2012. Since then, the SL-RAT has gained traction and is being used by hundreds of utilities worldwide to prioritize much more expensive cleaning assets and has inspected over 200 million feet of pipe.

Our Approach