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.

Hundreds of municipalities rely on the Quickview airHD to assess sewer condition rapidly and affordably.

Now, this trusted tool can measure the distance to objects observed inside sewer pipes. Users can choose between a free app update that provides quick estimates, or deploy a laser rangefinder accessory for more accurate readings. Knowing the distance to pipe features makes it easier to troubleshoot problems and plan repair work.

The new VC500 controller for the ROVVER X sewer inspection crawler allows for an efficient workflow. From crawler operation and video recording to observation entry and report generation, the VC500 helps ease your inspection process.

To help bring you up to speed on this new controller, Envirosight has created seven short training videos that cover everything go over everything from basic navigation to inspection, measurement and reporting. Take just twenty minutes to get a solid foundation for operating the VC500.

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Pipeline inspection can be performed in a variety of ways, with a range of tools and equipment. When many different companies and manufacturers are promoting their brands, even seasoned pros can struggle to find the tools, methods and equipment that best fit their needs.

In order to provide some guidance, we’re pleased to share the expertise of Eric Sullivan, Principal of Sewer Knowledge, who specializes in sewer infrastructure assessment and CIPP technologies. His research explores the two main methods of data collection, quantitative and qualitative, and analyzes an example of each.

The new VC500 controller for the ROVVER X sewer inspection crawler is the industry’s first to allow an operator to make a standards-compliant inspection, then upload it wirelessly to the cloud for instant access anywhere, on any device with a browser. The new controller also includes a suite of tools to measure pipe diameter and bend, crack size, obstructions, flow level, lateral diameter and angle, and inclination. In addition, it brings drag-and-drop simplicity to the task of overlaying video with inspection data, system status and images.

Here’s a brief introduction to its core features:

Founded in 1954, Innovac had humble beginnings as a residential duct cleaning company. Over time it expanded its offerings to include commercial duct cleaning, industrial vacuuming and CCTV pipeline inspection. In 2014, the company changed ownership and Nirpaul Kang was brought on board as the Director of Business Development & CCTV Operations. Once hired, he identified opportunities that his division could capitalize on to increase revenue and service his customers better. 

When Mark Aure, owner and operator of Pipe Detectives of Fargo, ND, started his sewer inspection and cleaning business he also wanted to help farmers protect one of their biggest investments—drain tile systems. He spent 18 years in the construction industry, much of which was devoted to installing drain tile systems, and he knew he wanted to continue working with farmers to make sure they got quality installations. Drain tile systems remove excess water from soil. These systems alleviate saturated soil conditions, maintaining optimal moisture for plant growth. Oversaturated soil can kill or damage crops by depriving roots of oxygen (source).

Personal safety precautions are vital in any sort of construction and maintenance setting, even moreso when the work requires entry into confined spaces, which often contain hazards that can be fatal. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 50 workers die every year as a result of hazards in a permit-required confined space. Many of the casualties can be prevented by following established confined space entry protocols.

Like many industries, sewer inspection benefits from technologies developed elsewhere—typically for consumer goods (microcameras, digital video, digital control networks), or for larger industrial sectors (XYZ probes, profiling, laser distance measurement). There's certainly been no shortage of technological innovation in the past two decades. Ultimately, manufacturers must place bets on which specific technologies offer true benefits to sewer inspection professionals and develop products that leverage them. Generally, they succeed when the technology offers new efficiency (demanding less time, lower cost or fewer resources), improved safety or enhanced data. Side-scanning technology is unique in that it offers a multitude of efficiency gains and a better quality deliverable—and that's one reason why so many manufacturers have recognized it as part of sewer inspection's future.

In 1999, publicly owned wastewater treatment plants served 189.7 million people and treated 32.1 billion gallons per day. Today, that number is exceedingly higher. The quality of our source water depends on the capacity of wastewater treatment plants and ensuring that extraneous water entering the system is minimized. This extraneous water includes water entering the system through inflow and infiltration (I&I).