City using robotic cameras to inspect aging sewer lines

Inspecting wastewater lines can be a nasty business, but technology makes it easier. That’s what the city plans to do in its already underway survey of sewer lines. 

San Marcos wastewater crews began the process of inspecting downtown wastewater line conditions with robotic cameras on April 5. The work is expected to be complete in June.

Crews are utilizing closed circuit video cameras to traverse 28,000 feet of pipelines. 

In their inspections, the crews will be guided by the North American standardized pipeline defect and assessment criteria, which the city says will better equip them to implement best preventative maintenance practices. 

That, in turn, will reduce the probability of service interruption as well as develop recommendations for future infrastructure growth.

 Regular inspections of the city’s sewers are vital to identifying defects, the city said, particularly as the infrastructure ages. 

For example, the discovery of old sewer lines running near the San Marcos River caused a delay in the CM Allen reconstruction project. “Determining the condition of sewer infrastructure coupled with understanding its consequences of failure, determines the risk,” the city’s press release said. 

 The press release went on to say that “Using risk as a way to prioritize maintenance activities and future repair/replacement projects is in accordance with industry best practices for system operation. “

The inspection process will be conducted by wastewater collections operators who are certified National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) inspection operators.