Leak detection investment leads to significant decrease in non-revenue water loss

Problem: 

Privately owned and over 200 years old, the Belle Vernon Municipal Authority serves a population of just over 6,000 residents. It encompasses the Pennsylvania regions of Belle Vernon, North Belle Vernon and parts of Rostraver and Washington townships. The water plant was decommissioned, and Belle Vernon Municipal Authority began purchasing water from another municipal authority in September of 2016. The Belle Vernon Municipal Authority services infrastructure comprised of steel, cast iron and plastic with portions dating over 100 years old. Given the aging infrastructure, it is not surprising it was faced with non-revenue water loss as high as 50% with flows as high as 0.700 mgd. The bills from the authority it was purchasing its water from were as high as $65,000 per month.

Solution: 

With the help of 540 Technologies, Belle Vernon Municipal Authority decided to address its non-revenue water loss through leak detection. It invested in two key leak detection devices from Fluid Conservation Systems. Superintendent Guy Kruppa and leak detection lead foreman Rich Saxberg started with 55 Permalog+ units to cover the majority of the service area. When paired with the FCS Patroller device, these easily deployable, acoustic logger units continuously monitor leakage and transmit an “alarm” when a potential leak is located. In February of 2020, they added to their inventory by also purchasing the TriCorr Touch Pro, an easy-to-use, robust correlator designed to provide the best performance in traditionally difficult leak detection conditions such as plastic or large-diameter pipes.

Result: 

By utilizing these devices, Belle Vernon has decreased its non-revenue water loss to 13%, which saved it over $36,000 by the end of 2020’s fourth quarter. Its daily flows are now averaging .326 to .360 mgd and its water bills are now averaging $22,000 a month. Following its AWWA water audit, the authority is focused on apparent losses, replacing old meters and mapping the assets in the water system through GIS. 513-831-9335; www.fluidconservation.com.

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Inspection camera pinpoints blockage at commercial property

Problem: 

When repeated backups occurred at a commercial property in Oregon, the professionals at Clean Water Works were called upon to identify what was causing the recurring blockage.

Solution: 

A technician from Clean Water Works used a Wi-Fi Inspection Camera from Hathorn. The company accessed the pipe through a cleanout and was able to live stream the inspection for the client to see. Since the image was so clear, the company discovered that what was thought to be a broken pipe was actually an old crustation.

Result: 

The company was able to identify the issue in the line with the plumbing camera and proposed a solution to use a special pipe-grinding tool from Picote to clean the pipe. Hathorn was the ideal pipe inspection tool for the job and provided HD quality before-and-after pictures to ensure the job was complete to the owner’s satisfaction. 905-604-7040; www.hathorncorp.com.

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City develops comprehensive inspection and cleaning program 

Problem: 

Ask Chris LaCroix what his crews have found in the storm and sanitary sewers of the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and you’ll get a wide range of answers. “We’ve found a little bit of everything down there,” says LaCroix, chief engineer for Atakapa Services. “It’s amazing what makes its way into a city’s sewage and storm drain system.”

Solution: 

In late 2017, the City of Lake Charles contracted with Atakapa Services to develop a comprehensive drainage inspection and cleaning program. According to LaCroix, Atakapa crews are often approached by curious homeowners and asked what they are doing. After all, most haven’t seen a Camel cleaning truck, CCTV inspection van or the Subsite Electronics cameras and transporters Atakapa crews are running through the pipes. “We’re well equipped,” says Hayden Case, project engineer for Atakapa. “In addition to the cleaning truck, we’ve got custom-outfitted CCTV vans by Subsite, each with three different camera/transporter systems onboard. We have a TranStar for 6- to 30-inch pipe, a Storm Drain Tractor for 24-inch pipes and larger, and a Lateral Launch System that gives us the ability to launch into a lateral from the mainline with a single unit — that’s a great feature.”

Result: 

Since the city has initiated this program, over 250,000 feet of storm and sanitary sewer system pipe has been cleaned and inspected. Nic Hunter, mayor of Lake Charles, is excited about the program results thus far. “This systematic, targeted approach to assessing and improving drainage citywide was implemented shortly after I became mayor,” he says. “I’m very impressed with the results thus far. We have cleaned numerous lines and identified issues that have required engineered solutions. Our city is draining better now because of this program.” 800-846-2713; www.subsite.com.