The City of Bayonne, since integrating the SL-RAT, has experienced an 83% decrease in blocked sewer lines in comparison with the same 6-month time period in 2018. By utilizing acoustic technology to scan for blockages, the city has effectively developed a preventative pipe cleaning operation.

Many cities deal with blockages in aging sewer systems. Bayonne is one of them. We hope this new technology will lead to a continuing improvement in the sewer system in the years ahead.

– Jimmy Davis, Mayor of Bayonne, NJ

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The Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool, or SL-RAT, is allowing utilities in Australia and New Zealand to save time and money, while enhancing their sewer maintenance operations. By using acoustic inspection technology to quickly screen sewer pipes for blockages prior to deploying resources, segments with identified need can be prioritized. Since acoustic inspection costs significantly less to operate than traditional visual inspection, it can be a cost-effective way to establish a condition-based maintenance program.

When Sydney Water launched an acoustic inspection pilot program, they discovered that “60% of pipes in the Sydney Water cyclic cleaning program did not require further cleaning.” This means that with the integration of acoustic technology, Sydney Water can prioritize resources, time and water on areas with identified need, resulting in better service and increased environmental protection.

Taupo, New Zealand integrated the SL-RAT after experiencing an increase in number of sewer overflow incidents. “By using [the SL-RAT], there is a significant cost and time saving over traditional methods and the asset data gained by using SL-RAT is a valuable tool for reducing sewer overflows.” says Taupo District Council 3 Waters Network Engineer, Graeme Jackson. “The SL-RAT has proven to be a robust, quick and easy to use product. We have been able to address the immediate issues with our sewer network and significantly reduced the number of sewer overflows, with the added bonus of collecting excellent asset data.”

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Elizabethton, TN Water Resources oversees a 70 mile sewer system serving 28,000 people. In order to address aging infrastructure and leaky sewer pipes, the utility had to create an asset management program utilizing mapping software. Their approach involved assessing entire neighborhoods and focusing efforts on areas with greatest need. In order to ensure resources were allocated in the most efficient way, they implemented acoustic technology to understand pipe conditions before deploying more expensive resources.

“The SL-RATs are helping by quickly identifying the locations of obstructions…it’s much more focused than trying to televise the entire 70-mile system. The SL-RATS tell us where we need to spend more time on CCTV investigation. The CCTV investigation tells us whether we need point repairs, sliplining or replacement.” says Johann Coetzee, Water Resources General Manager.

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In January 2018, a fatberg problem caused sewage to accidentally contaminate Lake Taupō in New Zealand. Since then, the fatberg problem has been essentially eliminated. Kevin Sears, Taupō District Council’s three-water operations manager says, “It’s a combination of the community doing their part and us using the SL-RAT cleaning tool.” The acoustic inspection tool has helped the district to quickly understand sewer blockage conditions and deploy cleaning resources effectively.

Read full article from Waikato Times here.

InfoSense has been named by the Charlotte Business Journal as one of the 50 fastest growing companies in the Charlotte region for the fourth year in a row.

Rankings will be revealed at the Fast 50 Annual Awards Banquet on December 6th.

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The Duncan City Council approved amendments to their project budget agreement with Tetra Tech to incorporate acoustic inspection technology. The Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool, or SL-RAT, has helped hundreds of utilities with establishing condition-based maintenance practices and better deploy sewer maintenance resources.

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Prior to integrating acoustic inspection, New Castle County (DE) relied on a time-based preventative maintenance approach that had limitations. As New Castle operations service manager explains, “Our operators were coming back, some of them frustrated that every pipe they cleaned was running clear water. It’s frustrating when you know your resources are limited and you know you’re cleaning pipes that don’t need to be cleaned.”

The Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool helped the county to recognized that of the areas tested, 78% were in good condition, requiring no additional work. With this insight, New Castle’s maintenance program was able to direct CCTV and cleaning resources to the areas of greatest need, saving time, water and money.

Read the full article from Trenchless Technology here.

The City of Cocoa, FL integrated the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool (SL-RAT) in February of 2017 to proactively scan their 200 miles of collections system for blockages. By utilizing acoustic inspection technology to quickly understand blockage conditions, they’ve been able to focus expensive cleaning resources on areas that need to be cleaned. The SL-RAT has helped in the development of Cocoa’s condition-based preventative maintenance program. Chris Collier, field operations manager of Cocoa describes the SL-RAT as a “game-changer in terms of operations.”

View the story feature in Municipal Sewer and Water here.