WEFTEC Paper: RATs in the House – Little Rock

RATs in the House – How Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority Moved from a Time-Based to a Condition-Based Sewer Cleaning Strategy

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.

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RATs in the House – Little Rock Presentation (WEFTEC 2018)

Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority implemented acoustic inspection technology in 2017. By screening 100% of their small diameter gravity sewers before cleaning, LRWRA was able to focus cleaning resources and reduce SSOs, while using less time to clean more debris.

Presentation Synopsis

Presented at: WEFTEC (2018); Arkansas Water Works & WEA Annual Conference (2018) Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority integrated a full acoustic inspection program in January 2017. Before acoustic inspection, LRWRA had a time-based program that allowed annual maintenance on 40% of the gravity mains. LRWRA looked to acoustic inspection for inspecting more, in order to improve sanitary sewer overflow occurrences. LRWRA recognized through a pilot study that the majority of pipes in their system due for cleaning based on a time maintenance schedule did not need to be cleaned. Screening with AI before cleaning would help focus cleaning resources, and did not require hiring additional personnel. In the first year of integrating acoustic inspection, LRWRA inspected nearly 100% of their small diameter gravity lines (1200 total miles of small diameter gravity sewers in entire system). By screening before cleaning, LRWRA reduced the total number of feet cleaned and total number of manhours dedicated to cleaning. However, the cleaning that was done was more effective, resulting in 117% increase in the amount of debris removed from the system. Download full presentation to learn more
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