Augusta, Georgia has been under a consent order from the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection to do a system wide evaluation. With the mission of mapping and evaluating their entire system, the SL-RAT has been a pivotal instrument for quickly screening small-diameter pipes for blockages. Their one SL-RAT crew is averaging 7,000 ft of pipes assessed per day, which in combination with root and grease control programs has reduced overflows by 25%.

“We’re taking baby steps, but the SL-RAT is one of those things that’s turning the baby steps more into a full stride. I honestly can’t say enough good things about it.”

Jody Crabtree Asset Manager for Augusta Utilities Department

To view Municipal Sewer & Water article, click here.

The City of Charlotte, NC maintains more than 229,000 connections through 4,100 miles of sewer collection pipe. To address the challenge of maintaining this complex collection infrastructure, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Division (CMUD) partnered with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2005 to develop technologies for pipe inspection. The developed acoustic inspection technology, called SL-RAT, has inspected over 1 million feet of sewer pipe, demonstrating that the SL-RAT can quickly provide operators with valuable information on pipe conditions.

“We’re saving money and saving our time with the us of acoustics. You can see immediately what needs to be cleaned, so it takes the guesswork out and focuses your efforts.”

Jon Beam, Environmental Program Inspector for CMUD

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