With the domestic spend on water and wastewater approaching $40B annually, the amount water and sewer infrastructure in place is staggering. As water and sewer infrastructure is being added to an already complex grid, there is an aging segment of these pipes and facilities that are in great need of replacement and repair.
The water sector of infrastructure is in dire need of an investment as it relates to the replacement and repair of these facilities and pipes. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in their landmark report, the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the US has received a “D” rating for potable water piping. There are approximately 1,000,000 miles of potable water piping across the country. It is estimated that over 240,000 water mains break per year and with many of these pipes having been installed many decades ago, upgrades must be implemented. The American Water Works Association estimates $1 trillion are needed to maintain and expand water service to the nation in the near future.
Wastewater infrastructure also presents a challenge as it ages past its useful lifespan. With approximately 15,000 wastewater treatment plants across the country, it is essential to ensure that these facilities are able to keep up with the growth experienced in our country. Millions of new users will be connected to these plants over the next few decades. New infrastructure is needed to meet this demand. Further, the increase in demand for wastewater treatment places an enormous strain on existing facilities. As it relates to our wastewater facilities, the ASCE Report also gave this sector a ‘D+’ grade. Along with the aging infrastructure in the potable water and wastewater treatment sectors, our nation’s sewer pipes are in need of upgrades, maintenance, repair and in some cases replacement. With advancements in the utility industry’s ability to install new fiber lines and other utilities via directional drilling, risk has increased when it comes to dangerous cross bores. Pre and post inspections are needed and are being required on a larger scale across America.
Video Sewer inspection and Video pipe inspection are great ways to determine if a pipe needs to be repaired or completely replaced. GPRS Video Pipe Inspection Services can inspect water and sewer pipes with our video crawler cameras (CCTV), inspect previously hidden sewer lateral lines via our lateral launch cameras, map complete pipe and sewer systems, and provide detailed NASSCO reports on the interior condition of pipes. Our arsenal even includes push cameras for hard to reach and smaller pipes. Cross bore mitigation and discovery is a key benefit to using a GPRS VPI service. The GPRS VPI team is fully equipped with video pipe inspection equipment and ready to service/inspect your water and sewer utility project, nationwide. When our Video Pipe Inspection team is paired with our industry-leading utility locating services, there is not a more comprehensive solution available.
Video Pipe Inspection (CCTV) is a service used to inspect and create utility maps of underground water sewer and lateral pipelines. VPI is a great tool for investigating cross-bores, structural faults and damages, and sewer lateral line inspection. GPRS can perform pre and post video pipe inspections during the directional drilling process.
Wastewater Treatment facilities can present many challenges when excavating, drilling or saw cutting. As a critical facility, utilities and other underground assets must be protected during construction. Damage prevention can be achieved through the utilization of GPRS utility locating and video pipe inspection services and the usage of the SIM process.
Spanning long distances, water and sewer pipelines can have many potential utility crossings. During the installation of water and sewer pipes, underground utilities must be located prior to excavation. GPRS can also locate utilities prior to excavation when repairing or replacing existing water pipes, sewer lines or lateral sewer lines.
GPRS exceeds industry performance when it comes to the accuracy of underground utility locating. Our team can continue the support of your project by crafting a one-call program for when the project transitions to the O&M phase. Whether supporting locating tickets for assets on public or private property, GPRS is a clear choice for damage prevention.
Video Pipe Inspection to locate any possible unknown Lateral lines in Clinton Township Michigan
Before demolition began at a local hospital the General Contractor wanted to know if there were any unknown tie-ins to the facility’s sanitary sewer lines that were not on drawings. The Ground Penetrating Radar Systems Video Pipe Inspection Division was contacted to mobilize and inspect all sanitary and storm sewer lines in the area of demolition before an addition was to be added on to the hospital.
The client wanted to avoid any delays created by uncovering unknown sewer lines and water pipes. GPRS VPI division worked alongside our Ground Penetrating Radar division to provide an entire utility layout of the central and surrounding areas. While inspecting one sanitation line, our robotic crawler discovered two unknown taps on one of the pipes. These taps were located approximately 8.5’ beyond the range of detection for Ground Penetrating Radar; if Video Pipe Inspection had not been completed, these taps would not have been discovered until demolition - which could have resulted in further delays and/or possible damage. While inspecting the rest of the sewer and water pipes, the GPRS Video Pipe Inspection Project Manager was able to locate several areas of concern along the main sanitary line which can now be addressed during construction to avoid further issues.
After inspection, GPRS was able to locate the sanitary and storm lines on the surface for the client. In addition, GPRS was able to collect points with our GPS system to add onto a Google earth map for reference which makes future demolition projects much easier to navigate for the client. GPRS was able to utilize our Envirosight Rover X crawler, Vivax EM locating equipment, and our Geode GPS location equipment for the map. After the inspection was complete, the client was very satisfied with the results and noted how our Pipe Inspection Services saved the company from possible delays and unknown cost by locating these unknown sewer lateral lines. GPRS has the ability to inspect, locate, GPS and provide CAD drawings for all of your company’s pipe inspection needs.