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City touts inspection tech and treatment pilots to stretch existing assets and cut costs
Summary
Staff said new acoustic inspection technology increased sewer inspection coverage from about 31,000 to 373,000 linear feet and plant pilots with plate settlers and cloth media could retrofit clarifiers to avoid full replacement, saving an estimated $5 million.
Staff highlighted two categories of operational changes intended to lower long‑term costs and delay large capital replacements. Sanitation staff described adopting an acoustic inspection system that increased inspection coverage dramatically: “We went from doing 31,000 linear feet of sewer inspections to 373,000.” The faster, acoustic method allows the district to assess system condition more quickly and prioritize repairs.
At the treatment plant, superintendent Rhonda described pilot work on plate settlers and cloth media to increase primary clarifier capacity without demolishing and rebuilding clarifiers. She told the workshop retrofitting existing clarifiers and repurposing buildings could reduce the capital bill by roughly $5,000,000 compared with full replacement, while also lowering energy and operating costs.
