Utility Gets Drone's-Eye View of Inflow and Infiltration

Minneapolis takes advantage of drone technology to more effectively monitor rooftop vents during annual smoke testing.

Utility Gets Drone's-Eye View of Inflow and Infiltration

The City of Minneapolis Surface Water and Sewers Division has employed drones in its smoke testing program to get a better look at the tops of buildings without having to send workers onto private property.

Pump smoke into a sanitary sewer system and observe. It’s a common method municipalities use to identify illicit sewer connections. But even a fairly straightforward process has room for improvement, as the city of Minneapolis has shown.

For the past two years, the city’s Surface Water and Sewers Division has experimented with using a drone in its annual smoke testing in hopes of improving efficiency as well as worker safety. Smoke testing in residential neighborhoods...

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