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INNOVATIONS ON DISPLAY AT
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April 2006

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PAGE 58

OFF-ROAD
WARRIORS
Henrico County,Va., tackles
inspections in remote areas

PAGE 38

FOCUS: SEWER

OFF-ROAD
WARRIORS

Henrico County,Va., uses modified ATVs for pipe inspection

in remote rights-of-way inaccessible to standard camera vans

Tim Yuhas reviews completed CCTV

inspections in the Henrico County
flexidata database.

By Dan Heim
magine having a camera
van that can go anywhere.
Anywhere means off-road,
on rugged terrain, through
sand, mud or even water.
You cant buy this van off the shelf,
but you can build it. And thats exactly
what the innovative crew of the Henrico
County (Va.) Department of Public
Utilities Inflow and Infiltration Section
did earlier this year.
About 10 percent of the agencys
wastewater pipes are in terrain inaccessible to standard camera vans. Some
lines are up to a mile off the nearest

paved road, isolated by ditches, hills,

swamps and heavy undergrowth. Scott
Yates, engineer in charge at the I&I
section, describes his challenge: You
cant inspect the pipes if you cant get to
them, so the only options we had were
to contract the job to someone who had
a truly mobile inspection platform, or
not inspect at all.
In May of this year Yates found
another option. His team purchased an
all-terrain vehicle and outfitted it with a
full array of video inspection equipment. The vehicle goes anywhere the
crew needs it, and brings previously

inaccessible pipe sections into reach.

The vehicle fills an important niche
in the departments comprehensive
sewer inspection program, which covers
1,325 miles of pipe with a crew of 10 on
a nominal 15-year inspection cycle.
Inspection equipment also includes
standard camera vans and other vehicles used for inspections in off-road
rights-of-way.

Birth of an idea
Henrico County covers 244 square
miles. Yates and his crew function with a
$500,000 annual I&I operations budget,

part of $68.3 million in annual DPU

operating expenditures. Some $18.5 to
$34.6 million is budgeted annually for
design and construction of capital
improvements that address identified
I&I issues.
Henrico Countys mostly gravityflow sewers by definition run toward
low-lying areas, often heavily wooded,
swampy or flooded. There are manholes in such areas, most vandal-proof
and a few waterproof. When they
require inspection, equipment logistics
can be a problem.
For pipes under paved roads, a standard camera van is hard to beat.
Theres plenty of interior space, reduced
light for video monitoring,
ergonomic seating, air
conditioning, a radio,

PROFILE:

Henrico County
(Va.) Department of
Public Utilities
COUNTY POPULATION:

287,085
COUNTY AREA:

244 square miles

ANNUAL UTILITIES BUDGET:

$68.3 million
Craig Coleman of the
Henrico County crew
traverses a creek in an
all-terrain inspection
vehicle in an effort to
access a section of
sanitary sewer.

INFRASTRUCTURE:

1,325 miles of sanitary sewers,

20 wastewater pumping stations,
75 mgd treatment plant
WEB SITE:

www.co.henrico.va.us

PRODUCT
REVIEW

Monte Mayfield and Alan Johnson lower

a mainline camera before performing
a CCTV inspection in a residential
area to locate a service lateral.

Bertrum Gordon and Craig Coleman prepare for CCTV inspection of a sewer
main in an easement using flexidata pipe survey software.

and probably a drink holder for the

operators coffee. But if there is a need to
go off-road, these vehicles will flounder.
ATVs are popular recreational toys
in all states, Virginia more so. The
high-end, amphibious models are the

doing what you need to do from a customer service and maintenance standpoint. And we really need to be able to
access our entire system.
On a few occasions, his crew hauled
camera equipment off-road by hand,

This isnt only about cost savings or efficiency. Its

also about doing what you need to do from a customer
service and maintenance standpoint. And we really
need to be able to access our entire system.
Scott Yates
Cadillacs of their genre they really
are all terrain vehicles. Standard recreational ATVs are 4x4s, but the deluxe
machines are available as 6x6 or 8x8.
Thats a lot of traction and stability, as
well as low ground pressure just the
ticket for an off-road mobile camera
inspection system. The Henrico crew
brainstormed about how one of these
ATVs might be converted to function as
a camera van.
This isnt only about cost savings
or efficiency, says Yates. Its also about

parking as close as possible and carrying the gear to the manhole difficult
work. Contracting such inspections to a
private company is costly and typically
involves added delays. Yates and his
team knew there had to be a better way.
Using a customized ATV for off-road
pipe inspections was their solution.

Nuts and bolts

The final design is a product of the
crews imagination, experience and
field testing. No individual claims the

credit. It was a team project, says Yates.

The crew chose an Argo Response 8x8,
which is amphibious and so provides
access to manholes even in areas that
have flooded.
The conversion process was simple,
involving only basic metal and electrical
work. An optional roll bar assembly,
procured from Argo, provides protection for the operator, structural support
for decking and inspection equipment,
and a platform for a shade tarp. The
shade is not just for comfort it also
improves screen contrast on the flatpanel LCD monitor, chosen over a standard CRT for better vibration resistance
and lower power requirements.
Next, slide-out decking was cut and
welded into place to support the computer and camera control components.
The crew used 3/4-inch, #9 raised,
expanded steel. Yates observes, This
configuration allows full use of the
storage area under the deck, and also
prevents dirt or other debris from
building up on the surface.
To power the computer and other
inspection equipment, the team chose

Innovative solutions like

Henrico Countys ATV inspection
vehicle require teamwork, coordination, communication, and an
awareness of available product
choices. Often, the product to
meet a need is already out
there.
Henrico County Department
of Public Utilities established its
Product Review Committee (PRC)
in response to the large volume
of new-product information
received daily at every office.
Through the PRC, representatives
from key divisions collectively
receive, discuss and evaluate that
information. In addition, the PRC
provides vendors a formal
process in which they can present their products for evaluation
through a single, time-saving
presentation.
What many call junk mail
the PRC calls information. The
exchange of information between
manufacturers and a modern
utility is crucial. Case in point:
Indian Power Equipment, a local
representative for RS Technical
Services, expressed great interest
in adapting its portable CCTV
system to an ATV.
The company worked closely
with Scott Yates, engineer in
charge, and his crew. The firm
asked for photos and for feedback on well how the ATV works.
Yates speculates, I wouldnt be
surprised to see them offer this
portable ATV system as a package in the very near future.

VERY OLD LAND

Henrico County is one of the oldest political subdivisions in Virginia. The site
of the second settlement in the colony, it was established in 1634 as one of
the eight original counties, then called shires. The name honors Henry, Prince
of Wales, and the eldest son of King James I of England. Not surprisingly, local
property rights, deeds and easements date to the 18th century.
Bordering the City of Richmond on the west, north and east, Henrico
County lies between the James and Chickahominy rivers and comprises a third
of the Richmond metropolitan area. Topographically, it lies between the Blue

Ridge Mountains and the coast, about an hours drive to each. Much of the county
is forested, replete with gently rolling hills, plentiful streams and small lakes.
With an average annual rainfall of 43.91 inches, protecting the sewer system
from inflow and infiltration would seem a daunting task. Fortunately, the systems design capacity, and the construction of flow equalization basins a
network of above- and below-ground holding tanks mitigates the impact of
rainfall events. Their 13-million-gallon combined capacity is sufficient for all but
the heaviest downpours.

with the rest of its components. This

GPS-based technology provides accurate positional data in three dimensions, automatically correlated with
inspection video and still images. It will
provide more accurate data and further
improve efficiency.
Now that the I&I team can get to all
the pipes, Yates feels his section is definitely on track. Solving that problem
has allowed the Operations Division to
focus on other programs, like an interdepartmental
Product
Review
Committee (see sidebar), vent stack
odor control, several rehabilitation
efforts on lines installed in the 1940s,
and a new pumping station.

Henrico County crew members: Terry Wood, Alan Johnson, Bertrum Gordon, Monte Mayfield, James Young Jr., Steve
Rhodes, Craig Coleman and Stuart Coughlan. All field staff members are PACP certified to meet industry guidelines and
ensure that the work force is up to date on the latest trends in information and technology.

Our staff provides a very vital function in ensuring

that we are able to provide our customers with safe,
uninterrupted service. Being able to provide a visual
inspection of all sewer mains and manholes is a key
component in identifying potential problems
before they become real problems.
Scott Yates
120-volt AC power from a portable
1,600-watt, Honda 2000i suitcase generator. The alternative would have been
to power a 120-VAC inverter directly off
the ATVs 12-volt DC electrical system,
but that would have required the ATV
to be left running continuously during
inspection. Its 40-amp-hour battery
alone could not provide power for a
useful amount of time.
ATV modifications were a joint
effort between many members of the
I&I crew and Ryan Beck of the DPU
Vehicle Maintenance section. Having
access to a skilled welder and fabricator
helped tremendously, Yates says.
The CCTV system is a portable
model from RS Technical Services Inc.
It uses an Omni Star camera with 40x
zoom, 1,000-foot cable reel, and dedicated video capture computer with a
120 gigabyte portable hard drive.
For added flexibility, the video system is designed to swap out from the
Argo to other right-of-way inspection
vehicles a larger, tracked Bombardier
BR-100, or a 4-wheel-drive Ford

Excursion SUV. The system can be

transferred between vehicles in under
15 minutes. Job terrain dictates the
choice of vehicle.

ATV action
When the call comes, the fleet is
always ready to roll. If the Argo is
required, it is transported by trailer to
the paved road nearest the jobsite. The
ATV crawls effortlessly down the tailgate
ramp and into the field, carrying everything needed for an inspection. The
crew loves to drive this thing, observes
field supervisor Tim Yuhas.
Regardless of terrain, the ATV functions flawlessly, Yates says. Versatility is
the essence of its value. Even in flooded
areas, it navigates easily to the inspection point, drops anchor, and serves
as a stable platform for crew and equipment.
When the vehicle reaches the target
manhole, its business as usual. After
firing up the generator, the manhole is
popped, the camera is deployed, and
video and inspection codes recorded.

Data is later moved via portable hard

drive to the main server.
The nominal inspection cycle for
Henrico County is 15 years, and the
staff is still adjusting protocols to work
within that time frame. The ability to
inspect previously inaccessible lines is a
quantum leap forward toward that goal.
In a typical month, crews clean
some 10 miles of sewer line, repair 30
sewer connections, and set 200 new
connections. Over the last two years
they have inspected 5,432 manholes
and 97 miles of sewer line. About 44
percent of the work is driven by new
construction.
Inspection technology is a mix,
including the RS Technical portable system, Aries Seeker push cameras, an
Everest Quickview manhole inspection
camera, and several Sony digital still
cameras. The software includes the
Hansen Infrastructure Management
System, and flexidata (PipeLogix) and
NEZTEK software for video and event
log management. PACP compliance is
a section mandate; the entire crew is
certified.
Inspection video is archived on a 1
terabyte (1,000 gigabyte) server for
quick access from multiple work stations. An operator with an access code
and manhole number can be looking at
video in less than a minute.

Craig Coleman and Bertrum Gordon

install an in-house-fabricated charcoal
filter on a vent stack in response to an
odor complaint.

Looking at the big picture, Yates

notes, Our goals are no different than
the majority of wastewater system operators. Our staff provides a very vital
function in ensuring that we are able to
provide our customers with safe, uninterrupted service. Being able to provide
a visual inspection of all sewer mains
and manholes is a key component in
identifying potential problems before
they become real problems. These
innovations place us in a position to
deliver a quality video product that is
easily accessible to those within our
department.
Sometimes goals can be met with
off-the-shelf equipment. Sometimes
theres a need for custom-built gear.
The Henrico County I&I section does
what it takes to deliver.

Down the road

Henricos DPU is now integrating a
GIS (geographic information system)

2006, COLE Publishing Inc. Reprinted with permission from Municipal Sewer & Water, April 2006 / COLE Publishing Inc. / 800-257-7222 / www.mswmag.com