In 2019, the Village of Schaumburg implemented the SL-RAT® to streamline collection system maintenance and transition to a condition-based approach. Using acoustic inspection, the utility aimed to screen 20% of its system each year by dividing the collection system into five sections, with one section screened each year.
Schaumburg's SL-RAT scores flowed directly into Cityworks, where work orders were automatically prioritized based on pipe condition. Pipes scoring 0 to 3 were cleaned immediately, scores of 4 to 6 were scheduled for maintenance, and scores of 7 to 10 required no action.
The program has delivered valuable data and immediate results. In its first full year, the data showed that 80% of inspected lines were in good condition and did not require cleaning. With this information, the city could reduce cleaning costs by sending crews only to areas with a demonstrated need.
Now on their second pass through the system, the program is estimated to have saved more than $1 million. Alongside the financial savings, condition-based maintenance has optimized crew hours and conserved millions of gallons of flushing water.
In a system as large as Schaumburg's, finding a blockage before it becomes an SSO can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. The challenge is knowing where to look. Schaumburg's condition-based maintenance strategy helps the team identify and address potential issues faster than traditional methods. As a result, non-wet-weather SSOs dropped from five in 2021 to just one in 2025.
