Inspecting 100 Year Old Sewers- Which One Should We Inspect First to Understand Condtion Assessment?

The Division of Water Pollution Control (WPC) in Cleveland, Ohio desired to understand its collection system to prioritize projects in its Capital Improvement Program. To achieve this, a condition assessment and evaluation of sewers exceeding 100-years of service is in progress. AECOM field staff utilized pole cameras to identify sewer segments ahead of traditional tracked/wheeled CCTV camera inspections. Both manholes and sewers were inspected with the pole cameras. Pole cameras were used to perform manhole condition assessments. The high quality of the pole cameras allowed inspectors to evaluate approximately 200 feet of each pipe. Inspections were performed using handheld tablets and data captured included material of construction, condition, score/rating, and photographs. Engineers reviewed the pole camera inspections and recommended traditional CCTV inspections for pipes with a score of 4 or higher. Condition assessment was performed upon completion of the inspection of sewers. The engineering review of inspection data resulted in a recommendation for repair, maintenance or re-inspection for each pipe segment and structure. The City estimated that traditional CCTV inspection of all of the pipes 100 years old and older would have cost over 18M. Using the pole camera to perform both manhole and pipe inspections allowed for cost-effective identification of assets.