Problem: Gainesville Regional Utilities maintains a 671-mile collections system that serves 67,000 customer connections around the city of Gainesville, Florida. As a result of their aging collections system with pipes exceeding 100 years in service, and inspection frequencies averaging 19 years, the utility encountered frequent sanitary sewer overflows and blockages. Traditional inspection methods proved too slow and costly for a system of their size, forcing them to rely heavily on reactive maintenance.
Solution: In October 2022, the utility established the System Wide Assessment & Maintenance Plan to transition from a reactive to a proactive, condition-based maintenance approach. A key component of SWAMP is the implementation of the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool from InfoSense. The SL-RAT uses transmissive acoustics to give the high-level blockage conditions of a pipe segment in approximately 90 seconds. This efficient approach enables the utility’s two-person crew to evaluate upwards of 10,000 feet of gravity sewer lines daily, allowing for swift identification and resolution of problematic pipes.
Result: The SWAMP program delivered notable efficiency and performance improvements. The utility has inspected over 390 miles using the SL-RAT, reducing inspection frequency to 2.5 years. Targeted cleaning of 17% of the system led to a 64% reduction in SSO discharge volume in 2023. 877-747-3245; www.infosense.com
