Our engineering department recently worked with treatment operators, wastewater system operators and Pure Technologies (a Xylem Brand) to study infrastructure in the sanitary sewer system. Pure Technologies completed live inspections of forcemains for both the Bath Road and Crerar Boulevard Pump Stations, using their SmartBall® technology. The work was needed to investigate opportunities to improve sanitary conveyance capacity in the area, in support of growth and development. 

While we use CCTV inspection to investigate gravity sewers, that’s not as practical for forcemains, which may not be easily taken out of service and emptied and may have several bends that make camera work more challenging.

The solution? SmartBall® - a free-swimming inspection tool that detects leaks and gas pockets and maps water and wastewater pipelines. Of particular interest for these forcemains are gas pockets and other flow restrictions that could be contributing to a lower flow output from the pumps.

Three surveys were successfully completed during live pump operation over three days in early December 2022. Preliminary reports suggest no major flow restrictions are present in any of the forcemains. This and other minor survey observations will assist us with making decisions about this infrastructure in the future.