The city of Minneapolis, which uses smoke testing to determine connections between the city’s sanitary and stormwater sewer systems in annual tests, is set to use drones to look for problems in the city’s sewers this year.
The city’s public works department will experiment with using drones for the first time to help crews find trouble spots underground in the sewer lines. The annual smoke-testing is part of the city’s plan to separate sanitary and stormwater sewer systems in an effort to eliminate sewage spills during large rainfalls.
Smoke tests are carried out by crews who pump non-toxic smoke into the sanitary sewers and then watch the rooftops of nearby homes to see if and where the smoke comes out. If the smoke comes out of a storm sewer opening on the street instead of out of the sanitary exhaust vents, or there is no smoke, it means that there is a leak.
According to officials, the system is currently in excess of 99% separated, and smoke testing is the most effective way to find any remaining connections. While drones will be taking photos from above, officials have told residents that they will not be flying the drones over private property.
“We’re not flying the drones over anyone’s homes or over any private property,†said Katrina Kessler, the city’s director of surface water and sewers.
The city is experimenting with the technology of using drones, because while the vents are easy to spot on rooftops visible from the ground, the task become more difficult in neighbourhoods where there are large apartment buildings with flat roofs and in industrial areas. The drones will enable crews to see the vents in these areas more easily.
While engineers across the country are discovering public uses for drones, including inspecting ditches and bridges, this will be a first for the city’s public works department. The City feels that using drones would be more efficient and will keep the crews safer.
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