Trucks like these are working their way across Des Moines to inspect something you use every day, but hardly ever think about.
The Des Moines Public Works Department has contracted with Ace Pipe Cleaning to send cameras into the maze of sanitary sewers underneath Des Moines to save the City from making expensive, emergency repairs.
"Our City crews are occupied on a daily basis with fixing backups, overflows and issues,” Des Moines Public Works Clean Water Program Administrator Patrick Beane said. “Any time we get the chance to be proactive instead of reactive, it saves us from having to make more expensive repairs and protects our residents before they have issues that endanger their property."
Contractors send a motorized camera into the sewer and notate conditions in the pipes, providing a status report on sewer lines throughout the City.
“We get a massive amount of data out of this program,” Public Works Director Jonathan Gano said. “This data allows us to prioritize and plan projects by necessity and projected impact so that we can more efficiently perform repairs and keep the sewer system running the way it should be.”
Over the next several summers, all 1,000 miles of sanitary sewer lines will be inspected by contractors.
“You use your sanitary sewer line every time you flush your toilet, wash your dishes or take a shower,” Beane said. “The goal is that you don’t have to think about them because they’re unseen, unheard and doing their jobs correctly.”
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up