The City of Eagan in Minnesota suspected that significant resources were deployed to clean pipes that did not need maintenance through their time-based maintenance program. In 2018, Eagan started using the SL-RAT to screen pipes prior to cleaning. By using a summer crew to inspect their yearly cleaning objectives, they could save more than $150,000 and 3,000 crew hours annually that would have been used to clean pipes with plenty of flow capacity.

The SL-RAT is compact, it’s extremely reliable, it’s robust and it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. We wanted to be more efficient and the technology is viable for what we’re trying to do. – Brent Massmann, Utilities Operations Supervisor | City of Eagan

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Where did the idea for acoustic inspection technology come from? What makes the SL-RAT a valuable tool for collection systems maintenance? How has the technology developed with time? InfoSense’s CEO, Alex Churchill, answers these questions and many more in an interview with Municipal Sewer and Water.

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The City of Bend (Oregon) Utility Department oversees 474 miles of pipe for it’s 94,000 residents. The city has experienced rapid population growth, from 34,000 in 1999 to 94,000 in 2019. Despite experiencing rapid population growth and development, the city has adopted new technologies to ensure that SSOs are down and preventative maintenance tasks are on target, without increasing staff headcount. One of the technologies Bend is utilizing is the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool (SL-RAT). By using acoustic inspection technology to rapidly inspect lines, they are eliminating unnecessary cleaning, redundant vehicles and high energy labor practices.

Typically, our system is in good shape in newer areas where it is predominantly PVC and doesn’t need cleaning. This assessment tool helps us focus our line-cleaning and root0cutting efforts where we need it, such as the older parts of town. It is helping us get through our system better, faster and eliminating SSOs.”

 

– Orrin Libolt, Collection System Supervisor, City of Bend Utility Department

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Although Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority experienced enough overflow issues to warrant a lawsuit by the Sierra Club and Administrative Order on Consent just twenty years ago, they now have an award-winning program in place that has significantly reduced SSO events. One of the tools driving LRWRA’s maintenance program is the SL-RAT. “Rather than committing to clean out sewer lines whether it’s needed or not, LRWRA is using acoustic monitoring to identify pipes that need attention.” By focusing efforts on areas that need attention, the Authority has reduced dry-weather overflows while reducing wasted resources.

I think rodding pipes every day for the sake of rodding is the old way of doing things… Not only is acoustic monitoring cost-effective, but it’s environmentally responsible as well. Do we really want an additional 15 trucks out there, spewing smoke and causing congestion?”

– Greg Ramon, CEO, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority

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