The District collection system operators work hard to keep the District sewer system maintained. It is critical that the system be flushed on a regular basis to reduce accumulated debris within the sewer mains. The flushing crew is dedicated to keeping sewer pipes properly maintained to help prevent blockages. The entire 100 mile sewer system is flushed every 3-4 years. Additional efforts are placed in areas of the collection system that are served by restaurants or sections that do not have optimal slope. These sections tend to exhibit more debris issues and a higher risk of plugging.
Closed caption television (CCTV) units are used to evaluate the condition of sewer mains and sewer laterals. Sewer CCTV footage allows the District to review pipe conditions from the inside of the pipe in order to determine where sections are damaged or deteriorated. CCTV is a valuable tool in categorizing pipe repairs for the development of asset management risk based repair strategies.
A series of flow monitoring devices are placed in strategic locations within the District sewer system to record real-time flow rates for each section of the sewer system. This information provides for a quantification of inflow and infiltration (I/I) that is being added to the system from rainfall and which portion of the sewer system it may be coming from. The flow meters can be moved around the sewer system in order to isolate areas of high I/I for CCTV inspection and ultimately rehabilitation or replacement.