SL-RAT at Augusta Utilities Division, Georgia
As one of the first SL-RAT adopters, Augusta Utilities integrated acoustic technology to address a consent decree by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
0 SL-RAT User Since
0 Miles of Sewer
0 Population
Screening Quickly at Low-Cost
In 2011, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division issued a consent decree that required Augusta to evaluate and point repair for the entire collection system. While the city has worked diligently against the corrective action plan, the SL-RAT has provided a complementary tool that enables rapid screening of the entire collection system. By identifying where blockages are at low cost, more expensive cleaning resources could be deployed in a more impactful way.
“If you can stay ahead of the curve, that’s what you’re looking for. Something that will stop you from having to REACT, and then you get to be proactive and fix some of these problems.”
– Kelsey Henderson, Assistant Director, Maintenance and Construction at Augusta
Key Program Results
Augusta reduced their sanitary sewer overflow count by almost 33% in their first year of transitioning from a reactive to a proactive approach. By inspecting all of their lines using a low-cost tool, they were able to determine where to deploy resources in a quick and effective way.
Three Million Feet Inspected in Two Years
Augusta described the value of the SL-RAT in a report for the NASTT No-Dig Conference after acoustically inspecting their system for two years. They found that a two-person crew screened an average of 7,500 feet of pipes per day. In two years, Augusta’s crews screened over 12,000 segments (3 million feet). Acoustic screenings showed that 60-85% of pipe segments scheduled for cleaning under a time-based maintenance strategy actually had plenty of flow capacity
Acoustic Pipe Condition Assessment Distribution in Augusta
Integrating Acoustic Data with GIS System
Augusta looked to streamline acoustic data with their utilities department operations in order to improve response time. By working with their order management system, Cityworks, to automate the process, Augusta’s GIS system updates asset condition in real-time so that field crews can make informed decisions.
Augusta Resources & References
Cityworks Video (2019)
Discover how the City of Augusta, GA speeds up their sewer line assessment process with the help of Cityworks and ArcGIS
View Short Video here.
Cityworks Article (2018)
CityWorks|Imprint – Partner Community Report
“Augusta, Georgia Blazing Trails – Identifying and Addressing Sewer Line Blockages”
Read full paper here.
NASTT No-DIG Paper (2015)
Implementation of Acoustic Inspection Technology at the City of Augusta, GA
Read full paper here.
EPA Report (2014)
Demonstration of Innovative Sewer System Inspection Technology – SL-RAT
Read full report here.
Municipal Sewer and Water Cover Article (2013)
“Under Assessment, Augusta, GA takes on a full system evaluation to eliminate combined sewers.”
See cover page article here.