Natural disasters are nothing new in the United States. In 2017 alone, the country experienced 16 extreme weather events including devastating hurricanes and raging wildfires. Extreme weather is on the rise. While local policymakers and health officialslead the charge to prepare for these disasters, municipal water and wastewaterdepartments should participate in these efforts to help keep their crews, communities and assets safe and protected, and to ensure that essential services are maintained wherever possible. We’ve compiled a list of best practices to augment your utility’s extreme weather response plans and procedures. 

Having enough time, money and resources to maintain deteriorating sewer systems is the leading challenge municipalities and wastewater professionals face. Under these circumstances, it is more important than ever to work smarter—not harder—and to direct resources where they are needed most. Doing this takes strategy and planning. That includes gaining a system-wide understanding of infrastructure condition and prioritizing resource allocation for the best return.

Compared to crawler-only inspection, the Phased Assessment Strategy for Sewers (PASS) approach reduces assessment costs by roughly 34% and boosts productivity about 17%. This free, printable infographic can be used to understand the value of the PASS workflow and communicate it to your team. 

Wastewater operators have long been aware that environmental and structural factors impact a sewer pipe’s service life. But they often rely on gut and experience to guide their decisions regarding which lines are most at risk.

Like other civil infrastructure in the U.S., many of our sewer, storm and water lines are over 50 years old (BAFuture). One of the biggest issues facing underground infrastructure is corrosion. A study from NACE International estimates the annual direct cost of corrosion for the water and wastewater industry is $36 billion. This cost includes replacing extremely corroded lines; lost water from cracks and breaks; application of corrosion inhibitors, internal linings and external linings; external coatings and cathodic protection.

Thanks for Visiting Us at WWETT 2016.

If you are trying to meet the increasing demands for infrastructure inspection with the same old workflows and technology, you’re fighting a losing battle. The evolving challenges of sewer inspection require adapting new technologies and methodologies to gain greater efficiencies and better data. Doing so can allow inspectors to prioritize system-wide which lines need the most attention, and to shorten the interval it takes to perform a complete system assessment. 

Want to save 34% on conducting sewer inspections? Counter-intuitively, multiple assessment phases actually reduce the time and expense of infrastructure assessment compared to a CCTV-only approach. Just how much money can an inspection crew save when it implements the Phased Assessment Strategy for Sewers (PASS) workfow?:

Recently, we published a white paper outlining our Phased Assessment Strategy for Sewers (PASS), which can cut assessment costs 34% and boost productivity 17%. Now, a new infographic is available to help you comprehend the value of the PASS workflow and communicate it to your team.