When I began my career as the “map guy” at the Madison County (Ala.) Water Department six years ago, I encountered a water main location program that may seem familiar.
It usually began with a question of what size water main was on a certain street, followed by someone saying, “Call Tom. He worked on that main about three years ago. He should know what’s there.”
In my experience, a lack of accurate mapping is a widespread problem in water distribution systems. While there is nothing wrong with relying on an experienced worker, two things must be kept in mind: It’s not
