You are here:
Field Evaluation of Innovative Wastewater Collection System Condition Assessment Technologies
Citation:
Tuccillo, M. E., C. Feeney, K. Martel, AND F. LAI. Field Evaluation of Innovative Wastewater Collection System Condition Assessment Technologies. Presented at Water 2011 8th Annual Conference, Amherst, MA, April 07, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
As part of an effort to address aging infrastructure needs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) initiated research under the Aging Water Infrastructure program, part of the USEPA Office of Water’s Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative. This presentation discusses field-based results from a research project titled Condition Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems. As part of this project, demonstrations were conducted to test the performance and cost of several innovative sewer condition assessment technologies: zoom camera, focused electrode leak location (FELL), and a multi-sensor platform that includes laser, sonar, and high-definition digital camera. Conventional closed-circuit TV was performed to establish a baseline and is used for comparison with the other technologies with respect to their abilities to detect different kinds of defects. The field demonstration was conducted in Kansas City, MO, in areas of the collection system with known operational issues due to root intrusion and inflow/infiltration (I/I). For the camera-based technologies (zoom camera, CCTV, and high-definition digital camera), defects were coded according to the PACP (Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program) system. The performance of each technology is measured in terms of versatility, accuracy, repeatability, inspection time/production rate, as well as technology-specific metrics. The evaluation of the total cost of each condition assessment technology includes factors such as cleaning requirements, labor, equipment, and disruption of service. Findings from the field demonstration study will be used as a basis for developing practical guidance to help utilities develop and implement condition assessment programs.