The city of Sedona will soon have a new vehicle in its fleet — one that both serves a specific purpose and carries a hefty price tag. Sedona City Council approved the purchase of a closed-circuit television inspection vehicle from CUES, under an HGACBuy contract, for $252,525.38 during the Tuesday, Sept. 24, meeting. The vehicle will be used by the city’s wastewater treatment plant staff.
A city report states that HGACBuy is a nationwide, government procurement service that allows the city to procure products and services through contracts awarded by virtue of a public competitive procurement process compliant with state statutes. Wastewater Director Roxanne Holland said with this new equipment they are bringing the pipe inspection and condition assessment program in-house. This benefits the city in that sewer defects can be monitored more frequently and pipes that require repair or attention can be realized before they become a larger problem.
“Through regular monitoring and evaluation of sewer pipes, we can have a better understanding of the real-time condition of the collection system,” she said. “Repairing defects while they are small typically results in an overall decrease in future pipe deterioration and avoids more costly repairs.”
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality requires that wastewater utilities perform condition assessments of the wastewater collection system once every five years. The condition assessments are typically conducted using CCTV cameras inserted into the sewer pipes through manholes, the report states. Wastewater collection operators are able to navigate the remote-controlled CCTV video camera through the pipe, which transmits the video to a monitor located inside the CCTV inspection vehicle. The operator then evaluates and records the condition of the pipe using national standards set by the National Association of Sewer Service Companies.
Historically, the city has contracted pipe inspections to a third party, with an average annual cost of $83,000. The contractor would include recorded video and a report of any defects found. Wastewater staff is then required to review the data delivered and maintain records of defects throughout the system. The report says that review of the recordings and reports can be time-consuming, and in the past, was not always conducted due to lack of resources and time to complete the reviews in the detail required to ensure that repairs are made.
“Having proper equipment and a full-time employee, who would be primarily dedicated to executing and overseeing the CCTV inspections, is beneficial to the wastewater department in that sewer defects that require repair or attention can be realized before it becomes a larger problem,” it states.
“Through regular monitoring and evaluation of sewer pipes, we can have a better understanding of the real-time condition of the collection system. Repairing pipe defects while they are small typically results in an overall decrease in future pipe deterioration and avoids costlier future repairs.”
The vehicle will include all equipment needed to complete CCTV video and condition assessment of the city’s sewer lines including remote-controlled camera, monitors, computers, and software which will interface with the existing system that the city utilizes for mapping. The total package cost also includes full staff training on using the software and equipment. Upon issuance of a purchase order, delivery of the vehicle will occur in approximately four to six months. As for the cost, Holland said while it is a large capital investment, the CCTV vehicle isn’t your run-of-the-mill work van.
“The van is built custom for the city of Sedona and our needs,” she said. “It comes equipped with everything needed to view the inside of sewer pipes. This includes a remote control camera with the ability to travel 400 feet through pipes which can also zoom, pan and rotate. There’s also a safety reel to lower and remove the camera as well as a computer, monitor and software which will integrate with the city’s mapping system.”
