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Optimizing Root Control with Acoustic Inspections- Western Virginia Water Authority

InfoSense Team on March 24, 2020

Western Virginia Water Authority is a mid-sized utility in Southwest Virginia that provides water and sewer service to ~250,000 people. In 2016, they started looking for ways to optimize the process for identifying pipes for chemical root control. To effectively manage an abundance of CCTV work orders, Western Virginia Water Authority utilized acoustic technology to screen their system for potential blockages. Over 4,500 acoustic inspections were conducted, resulting in identifying 557 with Blocked or POOR/low FAIR blockage assessments – scores of 0 to 4. Resources could be allocated to the 12% of pipes with identified need.

“The use of the SL-RAT greatly reduced the amount of time that needed to be spent televising and allowed for quick screening of the system.”

To read the full American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Paper, click here.

WEFTEC Paper: RATs in the House – Little Rock

InfoSense Team on October 8, 2018

Abstract: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Arkansas (LRWRA) manages ~1929 km (1100 mi) of small diameter (up to 30 cm or 12 in) gravity sanitary sewer mains. In January 2017, they implemented an acoustic inspection technology as a preliminary assessment tool to help prioritize cleaning operations. They successfully transitioned from a time-based to condition-based sewer maintenance program, improving their annual maintenance contact with the small diameter gravity system from 40% to 90%. In just their first year, LRWRA inspected 1555 km (966 mi), or ~70% of their collection system, reducing non-capacity sanitary sewer overflows by 35%, without hiring additional personnel.

Table showing Sanitary Sewer Overflow Count Before and After Implementing Acoustic Technology

Click to download full paper by Tim Harrison and Alex Churchill

Paper: Implementation of Acoustic Inspection Technology at the City of Augusta, GA

InfoSense Team on May 15, 2015

Implementation of Acoustic Inspection Technology at the City of Augusta, GA was written in conjunction with a presentation given at the NASTT 2015 as a collaboration between InfoSense, Inc. and Augusta Utilities Department.

To download full paper, click here.

Abstract

The City of Augusta, GA manages 1,040 miles of gravity sanitary sewer mains over an area of 280 square miles. In February 2013, they began using the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool (SL-RAT) to help prioritize cleaning operations. They have since added several devices and have worked toward incorporating the technology into their asset management program.

Currently, the SL-RAT is used by 2 person crews to perform acoustic inspections. The average rate of inspection is approximately 7,500 linear feet per day per crew. Inspection areas are planned out based on tax maps, and then the information obtained from the inspection is used to prioritize cleaning operations. Over 12,000 segments (3 million feet) have been inspected since the program started. Results from these acoustic inspections indicate that even a conservative cleaning policy guided by acoustic inspection would result in a substantial reduction in the amount of cleaning that needs to be performed. Based on these results, cleaning for the segments considered can be reduced anywhere from 60% to 85%.

Use of this device as a preliminary screening tool has resulted in substantial cost savings, while simultaneously reducing the amount of sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s). Financial impact of using the technology, along with an evaluation of SSO reduction will be discussed. In summary, use of this technology has shown that acoustic inspections can be performed quickly and cheaply, and are an effective tool for asset management.