Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/59336
he specialized subject of sanitary sewer over- flows (SSOs) isn't life and death, but it can be frustrating. Watching human waste flow from a manhole onto the ground for "everyone to see" puts a utility manager in an uncomfortable position. Not knowing why the sewer system failed makes explaining the problem to rate payers a painfully public process. Many utility managers' careers have been decided by how they present this message. Understanding where sewer assets are located as they relate to other municipal and private assets is paramount. GPS and GIS technologies are tremendous tools for managing such data and ultimately preventing SSO events. Sanitary Sewer Overflow that restrict SSOs can be caused by obstructions in the sewer line flow. Other causes include Tough regulations on wastewater management protect clean natural waterways and prevent property owners from dreaded basement backups. America faces a growing problem of inadequate wastewater infrastructure. The 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure compiled by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country a "D-" grade for wastewater infrastructure. They estimate that $390 billion needs to be invested during the next 20 years to rebuild this infrastructure. But with shrinking operating budgets, cities face difficult, and very public, decisions regarding costly system repairs. Without an accurate depiction of a city's entire sanitary sewer network, it's impossible to identify problem areas and system failures. When repeat SSOs go unchecked, long-term solutions are more difficult to line breaks, vandalism or poorly executed maintenance procedures. When raw sewage backs up and overflows from a manhole and onto the surface environment, it's referred to as a dry-weather overflow. When sewer pipes are inundated by rainwater and filled beyond capacity, a mixture of rainwater and sewage spills from the manhole. This is called a wet-weather overflow. In addition to clean up and repair, SSOs have to be reported to state and federal regulatory agencies. Fulfilling these requirements can be an arduous pro- cess. Mandated reports must be communicated to regulatory officials in various forms and timeframes, including a 24-hour verbal notice, five-day written notice and monthly written notice on the Discharge Monitoring Report, a federal water-pollution report. State regulatory agencies must clarify the reporting requirements and ensure they're consistent statewide. Reporting mandates for SSOs takes time, and time is money. For municipal governments, time is paid for by its rate payers. Speed and efficiency in locating, resolving and reporting SSOs is critical to maintaining customer trust. A Nationwide Problem SSOs affect more than the city officials who respond to wastewater emergencies. SSOs jeopardize the nation's drinking water and increase risk of property damage. When the source of a recurring SSO can't be identified, temporary fixes are put in place and, through time, become much more costly than achieving a long-term solution. MARCH 2O12 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . COM 19 identify. As American wastewater infrastructure ages, more SSOs are occurring. The EPA reports there are between 23,000-75,000 SSOs each year in the United States. With so much at stake, how do small-town operators or cities with tens of thousands of wastewater-utility assets begin the overwhelming process to rebuild and stabilize an infrastructure on the brink of failure? Regardless of network size or complexity, the approach to better waste- water management is universal: geotechnology.