Ann Arbor, Michigan – Engineering consulting firm Brown & Caldwell performed a sewer study for Franklin County, Ohio, using H2Ometrics to automate data analysis collected from 50 flow meters and rain gages in the sanitary sewer system. Project Manager Rhonda Harris credits H2Ometrics with reducing the time needed to perform data analysis by 60% over similar sewer study projects.
The Franklin County sewer study involved collecting individual data feeds of flow, depth, velocity and rainfall from each meter and analyzing the results to determine what repairs should be made to the sanitary sewer system.
The Franklin County sanitary sewer system serves 1.2 million people. In 2009, the County entered into an agreement with Ohio EPA to reduce illegal discharges by improving the capacity and performance of its system over a 15-year period. The 2015-2016 Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) performed by Brown & Caldwell was one of the actions required under the Ohio EPA Director’s Findings and Orders.
Harris used H2Ometrics in several ways:
- Estimating peak flows associated with wet weather conditions.
- Identifying hydraulic deficiencies within the sewer system.
- Identifying locations of major sources of inflow (illicit connections to the system) and infiltration (leakage into the pipes) into the system and estimate the benefits (flow removed) of eliminating each major source.
“Using H2Ometrics made it very easy to identify the problems in the collection system. We were able to look at a lot of data simultaneously – which is not as easy with spreadsheets – and make comparisons. We could turn some data points on and off,” says Harris. “We probably spent 60% less time doing our data analysis than doing it with a spreadsheet.”
H2Ometrics collects data from embedded sensors in water and sanitary sewer to measure flow, presenting the data visually, in a web browser that multiple users can view and manipulate. It’s one of a number of data analytics platforms and communication technologies being adopted by governments.
Engineering company, Black & Veatch’s 2016 Strategic Directions: Smart City/Smart Utility report cites the growing impact of technology on municipalities.
“Deployments of smart meters, sensors and data analytics are allowing communities to change the ways they communicate and consume energy and water…. Increasingly they are being thought of as foundational systems that not only integrate and streamline city operations, but also enable and inform smart city decisions.”
H2Ometrics’ founder, Robert Czachorski, a civil engineer, says that harnessing the ability to manipulate large amounts of data to make better decisions was one of his aims in developing the platform.
“One of the main things we’re trying to do with the software is to make it very easy and fast to get to your data and to get knowledge, information, metrics, and actionable output from that data.”
Contact:
Robert Czachorski, PE, H2Ometrics
(734-635-5398): Robert at H2Ometrics dot com
About H2Ometrics
H2Ometrics is a collaborative water analytics software to manage water, sewer, stormwater, rainfall and surface water data. Communities use H2Ometrics to monitor water usage and system conditions in real-time, saving money, time and energy.