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.

A crisis is something wastewater operators may not be able to control or even predict, but they can plan for. A strategic Emergency Response Plan (ERP) provides standardized protocols and actions for preventing, minimizing and mitigating injury and damage during a wastewater crisis. The key areas of focus are

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.

If you’re considering applying for grant funding for your wastewater system, you’ve probably also considered hiring a consultant or writer to help you through the process. Grants these days are complex and highly competitive, so putting together the best application you can is essential to success. For many communities, that means seeking outside help. On the other hand, hiring an outsider can come with added complications and cost. So what should you consider when deciding whether or not to hire grant-writing help?

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.

A clean sewer pipe causes fewer problems and necessitates fewer callouts. Jetting is the preferred method for cleaning pipes, but when it’s performed unnecessarily or ineffectively, it simply wastes time and money without improving sewer performance. Up to 35% of sewer lines are jetted unnecessarily as part of scheduled cleaning and maintenance, and improperly cleaned pipes can cause costly overflows. Zoom cameras were designed with these challenges in mind, helping jetter operators gather visual information about pipe condition rapidly and affordably so they can work more effectively. Highly portable and easy to use, zoom cameras can be stored on any jetter truck and used to quickly assess the conditions of a pipe before and after cleaning.

As technology advances, everything around us gets smarter, from refrigerators that can text you a picture of their contents to alarm clocks that track your sleep cycles to wake you up at the perfect time. Sewer inspection crawlers are getting smarter too, using digital technologies like CANbus to extend their capabilities, deliver greater intelligence and functionality, consume fewer resources, and allow for a more customizable, upgradeable sewer inspection system.

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).

Most municipalities lack the personnel and budget to keep ahead of sewer maintenance needs, meaning no effort can be wasted. Standardization of inspection data is the answer. The Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) is a standardized protocol for documenting inspection of wastewater pipes using closed-circuit television equipment. Using PACP removes operator subjectivity from inspections and yields data that is more uniform, shareable and conducive to computer analysis.