Storm Water Management Team Uses Technology to Remain Compliant
In July 2015, Alpharetta, Ga.’s Department of Public Works Stormwater Div. was awarded a $29,100 federal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant, to be used for field inspections of 130 miles of storm water pipeline (7,486 pipes) and 8,344 storm structures, to identify potential hazardous conditions. However, the city’s decade-old pipeline inspection equipment and software were woefully out of date and could not meet the demands of the project.
The city needed a rugged, steerable camera and transporter with the power and mobility to move around and over obstacles in the pipe. Its software must provide digital video upload capability, so reports included important details that could be integrated into the ArcGIS storm water structure and conveyance database, allowing operators to accurately add information—including Pipeline Assessment Certification Program attributes—about pipes being inspected.
After bids and demonstrations, Alpharetta chose a new pipeline inspection system from Trio Vision Technologies, including: the Cobra Technologies V9 pan-and-tilt zoom camera; a Model 806 steerable crawler; a cable reel and 1,000 ft of cable; and the Asset DMS software.
The city remained NPDES compliant, and having a thorough inspection and maintenance program has allowed the department to stay ahead of maintenance needs, including identifying places and opportunities to use trenchless technologies to avoid open cutting.
“We’ve gotten great feedback from our citizenry and have been recognized with awards for our successful work,” the department’s storm water engineer said. “We think we’re on the right track.”
