In the early 19th century, most of the water utilities in the U.S. were privately owned. Water utilities began shifting from private to public during the turn of the century in an effort to provide universal access to clean water. Today, many water systems are publicly owned. However, cities across the U.S. are now considering privatizing their water systems due to various economic and environmental factors.  

While the drilling technology used to gather oil and natural gas from deep underground—commonly known as fracking—has been a popular practice for years, its impact on communities has come to light slowly.

That's a wrap on WEFTEC 2019! Thanks to the many partners and customers who visited the Envirosight booth at this year's Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition and Conference to see the latest in sewer inspection and rehabilitation technology.

Inspecting laterals is key to finding sewer cross bores, identifying blockages and investigating illicit flows. And lateral lines often make up half of the total length of a sewer system, according to the EPA. Still, many municipalities fail to inspect them on a regular basis. Ready to start thinking about your lateral lines, but unsure where to start? These resources can help put you on the right path:

The city of Bedford, Indiana—known as the “Limestone Capital of the World”—has a population of fewer than 14,000 people. Though small, it has taken big steps in recent years to gain the upper hand over its sewer and stormwater systems. 

In recent decades, sewer inspection technology has advanced at a rate like never before.

Artificial intelligence is spreading across every area of our lives, from ride-sharing apps to spam filters to smart personal assistants. In the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has also seeped into the wastewater industry in the form of automated defect coding. AI promises major benefits over traditional operator inspection, mostly in the form of lower error rates and faster inspection times.

Preparing wastewater systems for both natural and human-caused disasters can preserve resources, protect communities and save lives. A key part of this preparation is training your utility employees to respond to emergencies. Both during and after a crisis, wastewater utilities and their workers have a responsibility to take action.

Working long days to keep the sewer mains clean and running has become a tradition for one Southern California family. Their company, Houston & Harris, first opened its doors 31 years ago by offering services for underground inspection and cleaning. And while many things have changed over three decades of business—including new technologies to complete the work—its core mission and family-centric character have remained the same. 

Like many communities in the state of Oregon, the City of Tigard has seen major and consistent growth in recent years. With an annual population growth rate of 2.67% in 2017—a trend that’s only projected to continue—the city has had to take a step back and reassess how it manages its sewer maintenance operations, among other processes, to keep up with the increase in demand.