Spending money on a sewer flow monitoring program
saves in the long run, Matkins said. The flow monitoring
data, in some cases, may show that sewer pipes do not
need to be replaced. “If we can delay capital investment
projects because we have accurate results, those are big
costs and direct savings to our rate payers.”
Additionally, when a new development comes into the
City, the flow data allows the City to determine the impact
that development will have on wastewater flow further
downstream, Matkins said. The developer then can pay
for the upgrades to accommodate the new growth. “It’s a
more equitable way to distribute the cost to those who are
creating the need.” he said.
Ayres Associates engineer Chris Pletcher, who leads the
sewer monitoring program, agreed that flow monitoring
equals cost savings for municipalities. Besides Loveland,
Ayres Associates has performed sewer flow monitoring
services in Fort Collins and Longmont, Colorado, and
Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. “Better data allows
the city to make decisions without increasing its risk,” he
said. “Utilities are strained to manage their assets with as
little capital costs as possible; this helps them achieve that
goal.”
In Fort Collins’ case, the City was experiencing inflow
issues to its wastewater treatment plant after an intense
rainstorm in 2009, said Matt Fater, an engineer with the
City. Rainwater was finding its way into the wastewater
system and down to the treatment plant.
“We decided we needed to do a more intensive flow
monitoring program to track down where it was entering
the system,” Fater said. “It’s like finding a bunch of needles
in a haystack. You have miles and miles of sewer lines, and
you need to find out where the rainwater is getting in. It’s
a tough task.”
Above left: Civil engineers Sam Lowe, left, and John Eklund,
right, set up a detour route around a work zone as they prepare
to conduct sewer flow monitoring. Above right: Eklund enters
the sewer while Lowe stands by as the attendant, the person
responsible for maintaining constant contact with the sewer
entrant.
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