SSOs: Locking Up Repeat Offenders

The Fort Worth Water Department has about 350 sq mi (906.5 sq km) of service area and 3,560 mi (5,729 km) of sewer collection system piping. Through major investment in collection system master-planned capacity improvements and collection system piping renewals and by implementing a strong sewer preventive maintenance (PM) program, the department has achieved a large reduction in the number of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) occurring in the system during the past 20 years, even while the system was growing rapidly. To build upon such progress and reduce SSOs even further, the department implemented a clear/inspect/fix (CIF) process, which follows SSOs and sewer stops with closed circuit television (CCTV) investigation to identify and address the root causes of the events. In addition to CCTV, geographic information system (GIS) and Maximo work management technologies have been utilized in this effort. Since its implementation in 2010, the CIF process has contributed significantly to an ongoing reduction in SSOs. In fiscal year 2013, the number of SSOs per 100 mi (161 km) of collection system piping fell below 10 for the first time in the department's recorded history.