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The Public Services Department in Florence, Kentucky has nine department employees that constitute the wastewater work crew, one supervisor and eight maintenance personnel. They’re able to handle it all because they are supported and guided by the tools and technologies that help them stay ahead of collections system problems instead of reacting to them.

To keep tabs on 132 miles of pipe, the Florence sewer division has a dedicated CCTV crew inspecting mainlines from 6 inches to 30 inches in diameter, along with the connecting lateral lines using a CUES LAMP system. Over a five-year cycle, the inspection crew documents infiltration problems, solids buildup, incursive roots, and the general condition of the entire system. 

Eric Hall, Florence’s public services director, says having a dedicated inspection crew is a fiscally responsible way to pre-emptively avoid costly pipe failures and to monitor what is happening underground. “The management software lets us go in and grade a pipe and put out a plan to fix or maintain it. Performance measurements drive the process and, at the end of the day, it is cost-effective.”

Read more about the innovative ways the city is cutting costs by using new technologies or download the full article.