Potential I & I Locations
Winter thaws and early spring rains are in season now, ready to invade watersheds in rural and urban areas. While some locations will not be visibly affected, other communities will have the additional workload of dealing with an increase of Inflow and Infiltration incidents.
Those areas affected by I & I, “Hot Spots”, should be identified and monitored closely during times of wet weather increase. Parallel runs of sanitary and storm system piping, cross-over and under piping, as well as service laterals can all be labeled as “Hot Spots”. Temporary flooding locations, swales, ditches and creeks are all above ground sites that fall under the same category. Documentation of these repeat incident locations will aid in the process of reducing I & I incident numbers.
Observations noted of I & I locations by field employees and data entry personnel work together to record the historical details, essential to the analysis of flow patterns during wet weather peaks. Having accurate rain event data will give additional insight into the behavior of a sanitary collection system, tracking rain rate with flow rates to the treatment plant. Implementing a metering program will contribute data to formulating an effective Inflow and Infiltration abatement schedule.
Developing a successful program to reduce I & I incidents requires diligence, starting with the identifying of “Hot Spots”. The viewing of temporary flood waters, piping layout and data analysis is the beginning of a proactive maintenance mode that will assist communities in the long-term sustainability of a sanitary collection system.
