The wastewater industry is changing. New technologies are delivering more data than ever before, and inspection software is becoming increasingly effective in managing, analyzing and storing data. 

Wastewater industry professionals have carried on much the same during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that essential services are getting the attention they need to provide for communities. But while the specific needs of sewer systems haven’t shifted much, the industry’s financial situation has, forcing departments across the United States to reevaluate and rebudget.

Kevin David spent nearly two decades working in the wastewater industry before deciding to venture out and start something of his own. 

It’s been called “the canary in the coal mine”: testing raw sewage for traces of the COVID-19 can help track the disease’s circulation in a community—often well before the official case count is available.

WinCan is always looking ahead at ways to integrate new technology into our software, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for automatic defect recognition and classification. 

Our new AI toolkit, Sewermatics, helps improve operator accuracy, automatically detects defects in video inspections, assigns defect codes and auto-populates data like size, position and water level in 30 languages. 

Gathering More Data in Less Time

It can be easy to grow complacent in the wastewater industry. Many pipes in North America are decades or even centuries old, after all. But operators and contractors who pay attention to changing technology and new regulations are better prepared to maximize efficiency and improve their systems for the future. 

Communities depend heavily on their wastewater systems, so ensuring this resource is strong enough to withstand a natural or human-caused disaster is crucial. Building up system resiliency so it can bounce back from any harm protects against a range of health and safety risks, keeping your sewer system in better shape for longer.

Monitoring municipal and industrial wastewaters is an important part of tracking and managing pollutants. This is particularly relevant for contaminants like PFAS, which can remain unchanged through the wastewater treatment processes. In fact, wastewater treatment plant effluent is a major contributor of PFAS in surface water. Understanding the role that treatment plants play in managing this hazard can help us better understand the affects of PFAS on human health and the environment.

Water fuels life. It’s an essential resource the world needs, so recycling it only makes sense. Recycled water and wastewater has environmental and economical benefits, and a variety of uses. While agricultural irrigation is a popular, non-potable application, potable uses are becoming more mainstream. Craft brewing has exploded onto the American beer scene, and with it brings the opportunity for small and independent breweries to play with nontraditional beer-making processes. But, the unchanging resource needed in all beer brewing? Water.

Set yourself up for a successful 2019 with these top five resources! WinCan has compiled valuable readings for water and wastewater professionals to review during downtime this season.