RATs in the House — How Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority Moved From a Time-Based to a Condition-Based Sewer Cleaning Strategy

Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Arkansas (LRWRA) manages ˜1929 km (1100 mi) of small diameter (up to 30cm or 12 in) gravity sanitary sewer mains. In January 2017, they implemented an acoustic inspection technology as a preliminary assessment tool to help prioritize cleaning operations. They successfully transitioned from a time-based to condition-based sewer maintenance program, improving their annual maintenance contact with the small diameter gravity system from 40% to 90%. In just their first year, LRWRA inspected 1555 km (966 miles), or ˜70% of their collection system, reducing non-capacity sanitary sewer overflows by ˜35%, without hiring additional personnel.Discussed are LRWRA’s change management process used to successfully integrate acoustic inspection technology, the Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool (SL-RAT®), into their sewer maintenance program, both operationally and organizationally. LRWRA’s transformation to a condition-based preventative maintenance program was nationally recognized as a Utility of the Future Today.