Real-Time Monitoring & Rainfall Analytics: Proactive Wet-Weather Management in Small Collection Systems

Small rural wastewater utilities often face significant challenges managing systems with limited resources, including small staffs, constrained budgets, aged infrastructure and how to have wide visibility into system conditions, especially during wet-weather events. Increasingly, these utilities are adopting continuous monitoring technology to improve operational awareness and to support predictive system management. Managing sewer overflows to protect the Coquille River is a priority for the City of Powers, Oregon, a rural community of approximately 700 residents located in the Coast Range Mountains valley. The city operates a wastewater collection system with a single 60-plus-year-old wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a capacity of 0.5 MGD, and about five miles of gravity sewer mains that cut through stretches of sparsely inhabited areas. Historically, the city relied on limited operational data to understand how rainfall and inflow and infiltration (I&I) impacted its wastewater collection system. They also had no way of anticipating spills, which when they occurred caused the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to fine the city. Powers operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which regulates the quality and quantity of treated wastewater that can be discharged from the city's WWTP into local waterways. To improve operational awareness, the city deployed a network of remote real-time flow monitors integrated with local rainfall data to have continuous system-wide visibility. Early warnings allow staff time to detect abnormal flow patterns and respond proactively before surcharging conditions or overflows occur, reducing environmental risks and supporting state and federal regulatory compliance. The monitors were a key component of a comprehensive inflow and infiltration (I&I) reduction initiative, which required precise measurement of low-flow conditions to support the design of a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). To advance the project, the City of Powers secured funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enabling both the I&I reduction efforts and the development of a preliminary engineering report for the new facility. This federal investment provided critical infrastructure funding and significantly reduced the financial burden on the community, where about 30% of residents live at or below the poverty level. The real-time monitors helped focus the I/I reduction project to areas that are contributing to I&I. Monitoring assisted in pre and post I/I reduction evaluation on the effectiveness of the project. The ARPA grant does not cover repair or replacement of those laterals. Additionally, Powers is a significant and protected archaeological area for the Coquille Indian Tribe, which requires archaeological monitors to observe excavations. That can be a costly endeavor for residents as well as the city. This presentation will include analytics, images and a demonstration to share lessons learned from the City of Powers and to highlight replicable practices. Using continuous monitoring and rainfall analytics can help small utilities proactively manage wet-weather capacity issues, reduce overflow risks, and strengthen collection system resilience.