Sanitary sewer and stormwater system owners are tasked with ongoing asset management decisions that will help maintain the level of service for their customers at the lowest lifecycle cost. The first step in this process is to inspect these pipelines so that these asset management decisions can be made. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) has been the typical form of pipeline inspections since the 1960’s; however, with advances in technology, there are more sophisticated tools and processes now available that can provide more quantitative data so that more accurate asset management decisions can be made.
This presentation will discuss four methods by which system owners can use new technology to better manage their systems. These topics will include:
- High Definition (HD) CCTV video to record pipeline defects
- Using multi-sensor inspection robots (using HDCCTV, LiDAR, sonar) to determine remaining useful life and when rehabilitation is necessary
- Using drones in sewer smoke testing, and
- How GIS applications are simplifying data collection in the field from handheld devices.
Michelle D. Beason, PE
Regional Manager/Principal Engineer, National Plant Services, Inc.
Michelle received a BS in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona; with over 30 years of water and wastewater asset management and construction experience.
She has worked as a Project Engineer for Capitol Engineering (Indianapolis) and Black &Veatch (Kansas City), as an Asset Management Engineer with the East Bay Municipal Utility District, she owned her own Engineering & Construction firm for 5 years, and for the last 14 years has specialized in multi-sensor inspections and trenchless rehabilitation of sewer, storm, and water assets. She is currently the Regional Manager for National Plant Services, Inc., covering the 12 Western States, including Hawaii and Alaska.
Michelle is also active in many industry organizations. In addition to serving as a Board Member of the Western Chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technologies, she is a Board Member of NASSCO, and is Chair of the NASSCO Infrastructure Assessment Committee which manages all revisions to the US standard language for pipe and manhole defect codes (NASSCO’s PACP/MACP/LACP).