Alabama Sewer Utility adopts machine-intelligent Focused Electrode Leak Location to locate, quantify, and document pipe defects.

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2020 — Electro Scan Inc. announced today that Decatur Utilities (DU), Decatur, Alabama, has installed the Company’s next generation ES-620 pipeline leak detection equipment technology to DU’s Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) inspection fleet.

“Electro Scan had been on our radar for the past few years as we are constantly monitoring and evaluating the latest in sewer inspection technologies. We were intrigued at the science and proven value of Electro Scan and Focused Electrode Leak Location (FELL) technology in not only identifying defects of various extents in the pipe but also providing a volume of Inflow & Infiltration (I/I) potentially entering our sewer collection system. Electro Scan’s ability to assess sewer pipes without bias and immediately provide decision-making results in gallons per minute, along with adding another layer of quality control for new installations is what prompted our request for a field demonstration,” said Jordan Young, Wastewater Operations Superintendent, Decatur Utilities, Decatur, AL.

DU operates and maintains 374 miles of gravity sewer mains ranging from 6-inch to 42-inches in diameter, serving a population of nearly 54,000 with over 20,000 customer sewer service connections.

“During the field demonstration, Electro Scan evaluated three (3) pipe materials: Vitrified Clay Pipe (VCP), Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP), and Polyvinyl Chloride pipe (PVC). This demo proved exactly what the previous defects the CCTV inspection discovered but provided further in-depth pipe analysis that will be useful for DU’s prioritization of repairs or main replacement. The VCP pipe was found to have defective joints and various cracks, the Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lines showed porosity and pinhole leaks that the CCTV inspection did not show, and the PVC line showed to be fully intact and leak-free. Again, FELL inspection provides powerful, target-rich data that will help us identify the exact lines in need of repair and improve our rehabilitation decisions to use ratepayer dollars most efficiently,” stated Young.

In October 2020, DU’s Gas, Water, & Wastewater Operations Manager, Jimmy Evans, presented the Electro Scan expenditure to the DU Board and to the Decatur City Council which approved the procurement of Electro Scan’s FELL technology inspection system. The ES-620 equipment for Sewer Mains inspection system was seamlessly integrated into the DU’s existing Cues CCTV truck. Following equipment installation, Electro Scan staff provided training for DU personnel, so that going forward the FELL inspections will be performed by the DU Electro Scan-Certified Sewer Operation and Maintenance team.

“Electro Scan’s technology also allows for an in-depth analysis of our larger trunk mains that would otherwise not be possible without bypass pumping procedures. Providing leakage data in submerged large diameter pipes was a key factor in our procurement decision that we cannot feasibly obtain using bypass pumping and CCTV inspection,” continued Young.

Uncontrolled I/I in gravity sewers results in significant and unnecessary costs to DU and its ratepayers. By precisely locating and quantifying pipe defects contributing to I/I within the DU collection system, overall infrastructure integrity can be improved to maximize system capacity and avoid costly capital expenditures.

“Decatur Utilities will be able to measure pipe rehabilitation effectiveness immediately after liner installations using FELL technology. Inspection data allows DU to properly prioritize capital spending for only those sewers with the highest I/I flows, and to unambiguously certify that rehabilitation work meets DU’s standards for water tightness. We are thrilled to be supporting the City in these critical efforts,” states Mike App, Vice President, Electro Scan Inc.

Another significant feature to select Electro Scan’s FELL technology was its existing data integration capabilities with Innovyze’s InfoAsset Planner (IAP) asset management software application.

This powerful integration allows for FELL data to be seamlessly incorporated, through a first of its kind API (automated programming interface) with Innovyze, into the IAP decision matrix algorithm that generates rehabilitation actions by using customized decision trees.

“The ‘golden ticket’ of our industry is to measure the true condition of utility pipes, where pipe defects contributing to unwanted I/I can be located precisely and quantified in gallons per minute. Prior to Electro Scan’s FELL technology, there was no way for utilities like DU to quantify existing conditions, and even then, it was nearly impossible to determine leak locations and associated severity,” stated Chuck Hansen, Founder and Chairman, Electro Scan Inc.

“Our goal is to help agencies reduce I/I to the maximum possible extent. Focused Electrode Leak location technology supports every municipality in reaching this essential goal,” continued Hansen.

Electro Scan is the only worldwide supplier that produces reporting in accordance with ASTM F2550, Standard Practice for Locating Leaks in Sewer Pipes by Measuring the Variation of Electric Current Flow Through the Pipe Wall. Electro Scan has remained committed to safely servicing our customers and helping municipal agencies adopt FELL technology during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Electro Scan’s FELL technology has been evaluated in benchmark studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WERF). Likewise, the German Institute of Underground Infrastructure (IKT), the UK-based Water Research Centre (WRc), and the Japan Sewer Collection System Maintenance Association (JASCOMA) have all studied and approved of FELL technology for pipeline condition inspection.

Kazmier & Associates, Alpharetta, GA, is the exclusive representative of Electro Scan products & services in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

For more than 80 years, Decatur Utilities (DU) has provided reliable utility service to the greater Decatur, Alabama area. Today, DU provides electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services to more than 25,000 customer’s system-wide. DU is dedicated to delivering safe and reliable utility service at some of the lowest rates in the Tennessee Valley.

ABOUT ELECTRO SCAN INC.
Electro Scan Inc., a leading supplier of machine-intelligent pipeline assessment products and services for the water & wastewater pipeline market, was named to Government Technology’s esteemed 2020 GovTech 100 list for the second straight year. Electro Scan Inc. develops proprietary pipe condition assessment equipment, delivers field services, and offers cloud-based data processing and reporting applications that automatically locate, measure, and report defects in sewer, water, and natural gas pipelines, typically not found by legacy inspection methods.