{"id":24021,"date":"2018-02-22T09:52:54","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T17:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=24021"},"modified":"2024-05-06T09:48:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T16:48:31","slug":"ontwa-sewer-management","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/ontwa-sewer-management","title":{"rendered":"A Michigan Township Modernizes Sewer Management"},"author":741,"featured_media":24051,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[161,1011],"tags":[1661,1681,1671,1651],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478372],"esri_blog_department":[478202],"class_list":["post-24021","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","category-utilities","tag-asset-management","tag-pollution","tag-sewer","tag-wastewater","esri-blog-category-water","esri_blog_department-infrastructure"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Small public utilities leverage GIS to better manage their water networks-going from reactive to proactive.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Key takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Creating a digital twin of the wastewater network provided a foundation for the township\u2019s digital transformation.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>GIS-powered preventive sewer management saves township money.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Location technology provides accurate real-time overview of complex systems.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Michigan's Ontwa Township, located in the southwest corner of Michigan along the Indiana state line, serves 6,000 residents and covers 21 square miles. The township has several large lakes, including the home-lined shores of Eagle Lake, a community centerpiece.\r\n\r\nRecently, ruptures in the town\u2019s wastewater network have embarrassed the community, and resulted in costly fines, including $60,000 in penalties both for spillage and failure to follow protocol when sludge gushed into the water and onto the land.\r\n\r\n\u201cThings break down because we don't have a good alarm system,\u201d Beth Westfall, a member of the Ontwa Waste Water Board, explained.\r\n\r\n<strong>Integrating Information<\/strong>\r\n\r\nLike many small townships, Ontwa\u2019s asset information spread over many disconnected software applications, databases, and systems. Operations staff couldn\u2019t find the sewer management data they needed. When they did, it was often wrong and outdated.\r\n\r\nRecognizing the growing challenges of Michigan\u2019s infrastructure, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) allocated $450 million to modernize the state\u2019s water networks and treatment plants. Called the Stormwater, Asset Management, and Wastewater (SAW) Grant Program, Michigan metes out funds to help communities like Ontwa struggling to manage assets and respond to crises intelligently. Ontwa applied and received a SAW grant to help solve its problem.\r\n\r\nThe city\u2019s wastewater treatment provider, Elkhart, repeatedly saw high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas in the sewers. Hydrogen sulfide in the pipes converts to sulfuric acid, and over time, the acid compromised the porous concrete vaults containing the apparatus that controlled flow and pressure. Eventually, system failures led to a spillage due to a collapsed force main.\r\n\r\nAfter spending more than $100,000 on new pumps, valves, and chemical additives to address the hydrogen sulfide issue, a larger challenge remained: how to better manage the physical network and prevent incidents from occurring. All agreed that being reactive had proved expensive for the community.\r\n\r\nOntwa worked closely with Wightman &amp; Associates, a leading engineering firm, to create a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-twin\/overview\">digital twin<\/a>\u201d of its wastewater network using a geographic information system (GIS) to capture network details. With that foundation, the township could then track sewer maintenance efforts and to meet protocols should another rupture occur."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":24081,"text":"What we are really excited about is the ability to schedule, track, and monitor routine maintenance programs, and to have a complete reporting support system.","author_name":"Ray Galovich, ","author_profession_organization":"project manager for Infrastructure Alternatives"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Modernizing for Automation<\/strong>\r\n\r\nLike all distribution systems, wastewater infrastructure consists of many component assets, not just valves and pipes. To prevent future failures, officials recognized the township needed to account for every part by knowing its exact location and condition.\r\n\r\nThe new asset management system moved Ontwa from outdated manual processes to modern automated workflows.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat we are really excited about is the ability to schedule, track, and monitor routine maintenance programs, and to have a complete reporting support system,\u201d said Ray Galovich, project manager for Infrastructure Alternatives, the firm that provides operational services to Ontwa Township.\r\n\r\nThe GIS-powered asset management system helps Ontwa answer fundamental questions to prevent future failures:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What do we own?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Where is it located?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What condition is it in?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What is the remaining useful life?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What are the most critical assets?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Where was maintenance performed and what was done?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Where are improvements needed?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nMaintenance staff now use a mobile app in the field that displays an up-to-date map of the water system. With it, staff can view assigned work orders, provide updates based on tasks completed, and access service order and preventive maintenance plans. The updated system also supports the staff\u2019s ability to present information to managers and township officials, strengthening Ontwa\u2019s commitment to transparency.\r\n\r\nWith the ability to closely monitor the condition of all assets, Ontwa has moved from reactionary to preventive sewer maintenance\u2014a primary goal of any large-scale <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-transformation\/overview\">digital transformation<\/a>. Next, the department hopes to integrate more sensors and real-time data feeds along the network to know remotely how the system is performing.\r\n\r\nLearn more about how water utilities are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/water\/segments\/water-utilities\">strengthening their water management<\/a> by creating intelligent water systems."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Michigan Township Modernizes Sewer Management with Location Technology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"GIS helps a small Michigan township public water utility with a system view and trackable maintenance for better sewer management.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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