A two-year research initiative led by a multidisciplinary team of engineers and 14 utilities has been launched to address the need for industry-wide guidance on smart sewer system implementation.
The project, “Implementing a Smart Sewer System to Optimize Capacity to Reduce Surface Flooding and Surface Overflows”, aims to develop practical solutions for utilities from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. that want to maximize existing infrastructure capacity while reducing capital expenditures through smart technologies.
Funded with $385,000 from the Water Research Foundation (WRF), the project will be led by Carollo Engineers Principal Investigator Eric Harold and HydroDigital Co-Principal Investigator Luis Montestruque.
“While smart sewer projects have been gaining acceptance and have documented lower costs and improved management of overflows and flooding, there remains a lack of industry-wide guidance to help utilities identify opportunities and implement these approaches,” announced Harold in a statement.
The project emerges from growing concern over how much time and money municipalities are spending on sewer overflow control efforts, according to a 2023 U.S. Government Accountability Office report. Smart sewer approaches, suggests the WRF, can maximize the capacity of existing infrastructure through the use of weather forecasting, sensors, communications, and real-time controls to adapt to changing conditions, potentially reducing large-scale capital investments.
Harold added that the research will provide utilities and municipalities with the information, strategies, and tactics needed to “scope their capital programs, tailor control strategies for sewer overflows, and meet regulatory requirements, while reducing treatment costs and protecting human health and the environment.”
WRF Chief Executive Officer Peter Grevatt stated that smart sewer approaches can improve environmental outcomes at significantly lower costs for communities of all sizes and locations, particularly sewer overflows, chronic flooding, and water quality issues.
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“We are excited to work with Carollo Engineers and the 14 participating utilities to advance smart sewer research to help realize the full potential of these approaches,” Grevatt announced.
The research team will conduct a comprehensive literature review, broad utility surveys, and targeted interviews across geographic regions and utility sizes. The study will synthesize case studies of both successful implementations and projects that did not achieve intended outcomes, providing critical lessons learned for the industry.
