As a rapidly growing council in the state of Queensland, Townsville City has a developing need for detailed condition assessment of their vast wastewater network. Townsville Water operates the sewerage network that collects, transports, treats, and disposes of wastewater (sewage) from homes and businesses in the city. Approximately 17 billion litres of wastewater are collected and treated each year through a 1,200 km network of sewerage mains, 190 pumping stations, and 6 wastewater treatment plants.
THE CHALLENGE
Townsville’s water asset engineers and project managers continuously inspect their sewer pipelines and needed fast, efficient ways to review footage and formulate decision plans for the required works. Confronted with separate reports of defective lining works within their pipeline network, the council was keen to quickly develop a decision-making/rehabilitation planning program.
THE SOLUTION
VAPAR’s AI processing translated the video footage into a series of reportable images, facilitating quick reviews. This enabled engineers to identify over 9,500 pipe defects and features, compiling them into industry-standard reports. Prioritisation and organisation of the asset inspections was performed using the WSAA reporting standards for structural and service grading inherent in the platform design.
As a result, the council pinpointed 10 key assets with reported defects from previous lining and T-seal failures requiring urgent attention to address key risk locations in the city. This led to a swift generation of a list of repair recommendations, setting the stage for contractor-led rehabilitation works.
RESULTS
The 11.5 km of pipeline inspections conducted using VAPAR yielded over 9,500 pipe features, detailed both online using cloud-hosted software, and catalogued PDF reports. This extensive work was completed within just 8 weeks of engagement, identifying more than 20 assets with a Structural or Service grade of 4 or above.
The Council’s asset and project engineers are now leveraging VAPAR’s cloud storage system for collaborative rehabilitation planning. This unified system provides complete online access to inspection videos and PDFs, streamlining the delivery process for both internal and external stakeholders.
Project Snapshot
Challenge
- A backlog review of expansive 1,200 km network.
Primary Focus:
- To identify the most at-risk assets from yet-to-be-evaluated inspections.
Goal:
- To develop a priority list of assets requiring engineering work, forming the basis of a detailed rehabilitation plan for upcoming tenders.
