The Low Down on Pipes: A Look at Municipal Water

We manufacture our portable remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and pipe crawlers for a variety of different industries and applications. Due to their robust design and versatility, Deep Trekker products have proven to be the ideal tools for many professionals and adventurers around the Globe.

One of the largest of these industries is what we call “Infrastructure”. Municipalities, service companies and contractors all fall within this category. It is an area where Deep Trekker has proved itself time and again as making very useful and efficient tools to complete extremely important inspection tasks on a day to day basis.

While we may clump these differing operations into one category, there are still a variety of applications that fall within each. When you think municipal water and infrastructure you may just think of drinking water and drainage, but there are many more components to it than that. Today we are going to write a low down on pipes. There are a number of pipe and water systems that all operate differently and each with their own unique applications for Deep Trekker Pipe Crawlers and ROVs.

When looking at the Infrastructure industry, there are 3 main systems/operations where Deep Trekker products have proven themselves time and again. Sewage and Sanitation, Storm Water, and Water Management.

1. Sewage and Sanitation Pipes

This area of water management refers to, yep you guessed it, waste and excrement. This can mean water that has been flushed from shower, sinks, toilets, laundry, and commercial waste. The flushed water enters a network of pipes underground where it is then distributed to larger pipes and tunnels that are managed by a treatment facility. Major risks are involved if these pipe networks are not inspected regularly due to the nature of the water being handled. If leakage of these systems occurs then contamination into the ground and surrounding waterways can be detrimental. To learn about the specifics of how these systems operate follow the link here.

Using the Deep Trekker systems, operators are able to perform pipeline inspections once the pipes have been flushed. A major advantage of using Deep Trekker systems for this is thanks to our products' ease of use. After a recent demo in Toronto, Cody was able to explain why: “Operators of vehicles are usually numerous within an organization, and having just a few hours with the original demonstration means that they need to be experts enough to train the other operators.

2. Storm Water Pipes

Storm water refers to any precipitation that runs off of surfaces like roads, sidewalks, roofs, parking lots and any other surface through which the water cannot seep. As cities grow, so does the need for effective systems to manage storm water runoff. Mismanaged systems can lead to flooding, erosion, damaged stream banks and beds, and increase the risks of pollutants spreading. To learn about specific ways storm water can be managed follow this link.

Deep Trekker systems have been a vital tool in ensuring the integrity of these systems in a number of municipalities across Canada and the United States. The best way to ensure the systems and networks in place are functioning properly is to inspect them regularly. Using Deep Trekker robots, service companies and municipal contractors have been able to monitor the state of these networks without incurring the high costs of hiring divers. Using ROVs and Pipe Crawlers also allow operators to enter hard to reach access points without any issues and complete their work without disrupting large amounts of sediment that may have settled at the bottom of the pipes.

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3. Water Management Systems

This refers to the water that is treated for consumption. Before fresh water can be used for consumption, whether it be for cooking, showering or drinking, it needs to go through a treatment process to ensure that there are no contaminants living within it. Water treatment facilities consist of a network of components that are carefully laid out to treat the water. These networks usually have a number of enclosed and narrow areas that make it difficult or impossible for a human diver to navigate. However, leaving these facilities un-monitored can result in unsafe water conditions that may have disastrous effects.

A Deep Trekker ROV and Pipe Crawler is the perfect combination of tools for treatment facility personnel. Between the two products, operators are able to inspect every component of their facility at any time. Just like sewage and storm water pipes, frequent inspections are the key to safe and efficient operations. To learn about the various components of water treatment facilities and how each can be inspected using a Deep Trekker robot read the blog here.

There you have it: a quick rundown of the three main pipe systems in the Infrastructure industry. In some municipalities these systems are combined or rely on each other for operation. That is just one more reason using Deep Trekker systems can be advantageous; having one or two products that are able to tackle each type of pipeline management system is cost effective and highly efficient.