Alexander City is home to a sprawling sewer network that stretches over 150 miles through rolling terrain. Despite significant infrastructure, the city’s journey to efficient sewer system management was not without its hurdles. Not that long ago the city struggled with outdated methods, relying on staff’s personal memory to find sewer line locations. This approach was far from efficient, especially considering the city’s responsibility to Lake Martin, Alabama’s largest treasure lake, where treated sewage is discharged.
Challenge
Alexander City did not have a comprehensive system in place to manage sewer system maintenance. Data was not easily available and there was not a spatial component to view the location of assets. Instead, experienced personnel relied on their recollection, which hindered efficient sewer management. To overcome these challenges, Alexander City decided to use GPS to collect the location of assets within their sewer system, creating a comprehensive Esri geographic information system (GIS) map of buried assets. While this was a significant step in the right direction, the inspection data of the city’s pipes was disorganized and full of inconsistencies and errors. Additionally, if a problem was found during an inspection, the process to follow up was complicated, and necessary maintenance was often overlooked.
Partners
After considering several options, Alexander City chose to implement ITpipes software to improve the city’s sewer management capabilities. ITpipes provides inspection solutions for water and wastewater utilities that enable utilities to effectively collect, analyze, manage, and integrate pipeline inspection data in a GIS-based solution. An Esri partner, ITpipes is ArcGIS System Ready and their pipeline inspection software is listed on the ArcGIS Marketplace.
Solution
ITpipes provided the city with easy-to-use pipe inspection software and robust ArcGIS mapping tools, which allowed the city to visualize pipeline analytics and gain immediate access to comprehensive pipe inspection data. With ITpipes, pipeline videos and condition assessment information are readily available with a single click. Key components such as ITpipes Mobile, ITpipes Web, and ITpipes Sync were implemented to provide detailed visibility and control over the city’s underground infrastructure. The new system is simple and easy to use for the city’s staff. To start, the supervisor in the office assigns the pipes to be inspected. These assigned inspections are then automatically synced to the field inspection CCTV vehicle. While in the field, the pipe inspection crews benefit greatly from the integration of mapping with asset data. ITpipes software directly imports asset information from the GIS, which automatically fills in asset header data for each inspection. The interface is simple, enabling the crews to efficiently inspect and record defects in both sanitary and stormwater sewers throughout the day. Once back in the office, the crews’ data automatically syncs to ITpipes Web via their connected devices, ensuring that no inspection data is lost. Office staff then immediately access the latest pipe inspection videos and reports integrated within Esri web maps through a specially configured Esri web application.
Results
The integration of ITpipes software with Esri’s GIS technology has had a significant impact on the management of Alexander City’s sewer system. Before the integration, the city experienced up to 100 overflows annually. However, with access to geospatial pipe-condition data, proactive maintenance strategies have been implemented, resulting in a reduction of overflows to single digits annually. Routine maintenance has become more efficient, allowing the city to comprehensively inspect its entire system every two years. The user-friendly ITpipes software has made it easy for city staff to manage inspections. This efficiency has also enabled the city to prioritize sewer lining projects effectively, leveraging ITpipes Web data to inform annual lining contracts.The city’s journey from manual, memory-based methods to a sophisticated, GIS-enabled sewer management system highlights the transformative power of technology.
Quote
“Our partnership with ITpipes and Esri has been a game-changer. The enhanced data accuracy and accessibility have allowed us to implement effective maintenance strategies, leading to our proud reduction in sewer overflows and more efficient use of resources.” Danny Jo Pike, CCTV Inspection Supervisor, Alexander City