Although they are out of sight and out of mind except when they spring a leak or back up, water and sewer systems are more vital to civilized society than any other aspect of infrastructure. Deteriorating roads and bridges may stifle our economy and turn transportation headaches into nightmares, but if the water and sewer systems fail, then life as we know it will too. Without an ample supply of water, people don’t drink, toilets don’t get flushed, businesses don’t operate, and fires go unchecked. When sewage systems fail, municipalities can’t function, and epidemics break out.

Nationwide, it is estimated about 900 billion gallons of raw sewage flows into our waterways without being treated due to sewer line leaks and backups. It is not just a problem in the old cities on the East coast. It has been estimated that Oklahoma has a need for $82 billion in water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation over the next 50 years. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) stated, “I remember when they used to consider us out in the newer states like Oklahoma as not having the infrastructure problems of the older states, but that’s not true anymore.” Many of the sewer systems of our Oklahoma cities and towns are 100+ years old.

With the toilet paper shortage of 2020, many people have turned to purchasing and using “flushable wipes”. Flushable wipes, though advertised as safe for sewer and septic systems, are not. They are not designed to be biodegradable; please, don’t use these!

Items like flushable wipes, tampons, sanitary napkins, dental floss, diapers, cotton swabs, and bandages are not designed to be flushed down the toilet. These items get caught up in fats, greases, oils, and debris in the sewer system and cause clogs. This can cause a backup in your personal sewer line or in the municipality’s sewer lines. The material can even make it all the way to the sewer treatment plant and destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.

What CAN be safely flushed into your town’s sewer lines? Only three things: Poo, Pee, and Toilet Paper. Protect your property, the property of your neighbors, and your municipality’s property. Only flush the 3 P’s (poo, pee, and paper). If you use flushable wipes or other products not biodegradable put them in plastic bags and place them in your trash.

Stormwater flowing into a municipality’s sewer system through low gully traps, illegal connections, broken pipes, and unsealed manholes can cause overflows, system strains, and interruptions in your sewer operations. This is known as Inflow and Infiltration; aka I&I.

Why bother to fix Inflow & Infiltration?

By identifying I&I early and reducing their levels, municipalities can benefit from:

Reduced localized overflows: Through the management of overflows from manholes during rainfall, controlled overflow points, pump stations, and treatment plants.
Improve operational efficiencies: I&I reduces the sewer system capacity, limiting the potential for growth within a specific catchment.
Reduced ongoing costs: I&I results in clear water being pumped and treated along with wastewater, contributing to increased costs.

How to identify whether you have an I&I problem

Councils and water authorities can identify whether they have existing I&I issues within their system by looking for these indicators:

Pumps run for hours and inflows increase significantly during storm events
The hydraulic loading of wastewater treatment plants increases significantly after a rain event
Localized overflows occur within a collection system during a heavy storm event
An increase in inflow during dry weather conditions compared to previous months

Steps to reduce I&I within your wastewater system

First, identify the general vicinity of the issue through flow monitoring. Then identify the exact problem, locate the area(s) where it is occurring, and introduce measures to improve the situation.

The following steps provide a simple overview of an I&I reduction plan that can assist in identifying various stages associated with reducing I&I in a wastewater system:

Targeted monitoring – monitoring wastewater flows within the system
Identifying the problem – is it inflow or infiltration?
Source detection – where is it occurring within the system?
Rehabilitation – what can be done to reduce or eliminate the problem(s)?

Source detection

A few ways to detect the sources of I&I include:

Private Inspections – after receiving and documenting permission from property owners, inspecting private properties consists of visual assessments of the stormwater and wastewater networks within a property. Illegal connections could mean that a stormwater down pipe is directly connected to a wastewater gully trap.

Manhole Inspection – Manhole inspections can identify leaks from broken pipes, and joints due to tree root intrusion or design issues. Manholes can contribute to significant I&I through leaky covers as well.

Smoke Testing – Smoke testing locates I&I sources by identifying stormwater drain cross connections, broken pipes, and laterals, or unsealed manholes.

Dye Testing – Dye testing can be used to identify leaks and confirm smoke test results. The method uses water mixed with a non-toxic dye. The colored water Is pumped through the ground and storm water system and appears in the sanitary sewer collection system where leaks and illegal connections occur.

CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras – CCTV allows authorities to visualize the inside of pipes by using a small camera that travels down the length of a pipe to produce a visual representation of its condition. CCTV inspections can reveal the need for rehabilitating leaky pipes, facilitate grease or root removal, identify improper taps into the municipal lines, or find broken lateral connections.

Rehabilitation of Wastewater systems

Rehabilitation can include, but is not limited to, the following:

Seal manholes and replace leaky covers
Use cured-in-place piping (CIPP), trenchless rehabilitation or chemical grouting to seal leaks, and open cut replacement pipes
Raise gully traps and disconnect stormwater downpipes from the gully trap and redirect into stormwater systems
Fix broken laterals (reline or replace); fix any other private connections which might be improperly or illegally tapped into the municipal system

OMAG Risk Management Services wants to assist our municipalities in providing a safer and more efficient sanitary sewer system for their constituents. We offer several grants and programs to help you get started. Contact William Sheppard (wsheppard@omag.org) for more information if you are interested in improving your sanitary sewer system by reducing Inflow and Infiltration.