Tag Archive for: SDCTA

Utility Patent-Pipeline Inspection Tool-

Water Authority Wins Golden Watchdog Award

The San Diego County Water Authority won a Golden Watchdog Award at this year’s Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards hosted by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association on Oct. 18. The Water Authority was recognized for its deployment of “Scanny,” a high-tech surveillance device designed to safely and efficiently monitor the agency’s large-diameter pipelines that provide water to the San Diego region.

Scanny-patent-innovation-

The inspection tool uses commercially available lightweight adventure cameras and lights that are arranged in a unique way on a chassis that moves through pipelines that are 4 to 9 feet in diameter. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

A special congratulations to the Water Authority’s Operations and Maintenance team and in particular Asset Management Manager Martin Coghill, who designed and patented “Scanny” on behalf of the Water Authority.

Proactive maintenance and asset management practices allow water agencies to extend the lifespan of their pipeline assets by more than 50%. With 308 miles of transmission pipelines, 100 flow control facilities and more than 1,400 pipeline-related structures, the Water Authority is constantly assessing and inspecting critical infrastructure across the county. This not only ensures that the Water Authority can stay ahead of potential emergencies but also reduce the need for replacing infrastructure.

Inspections involve crews entering the drained pipelines and evaluating around 30 miles each year. The pipelines traverse the hilly terrain of San Diego County, and some sections are so steep that they require the use of specialized rope and rigging support teams. That’s where “Scanny” comes in. Using an array of cameras to provide high-definition video surveillance of the interior of the pipeline, invented by Water Authority staff, provides the ability to inspect these pipes without requiring specialists.

The benefit of this technology goes beyond proactive maintenance. When compared to the cost of hiring specialized rope and rigging teams, “Scanny” paid for itself in just two deployments. “Scanny” can also be deployed multiple times each year during the inspection season.

Asset management at the Water Authority is more than just using new technology, it’s a strategic investment. In round numbers, the cost to replace 1 mile of large-diameter pipeline can be around $10 million. The cost to assess and maintain the same mile of pipeline may be around $100,000 every 10 years.

The 318-foot-tall Olivenhain Dam in North County is a major component of the Water Authority’s Emergency and Carryover Storage Project. The dam added 24,000 acre-feet of water storage capacity. Golden Watchdog Award

Water Authority Project Named ‘Golden Watchdog Award’ Finalist

San Diego, Calif. – The San Diego County Taxpayers Association named the San Diego County Water Authority’s Emergency & Carryover Storage Project as a finalist for its prestigious “Regional Golden Watchdog Award” in the 23rd annual Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards.

The “Goldens” recognize the best and worst in local government spending, decision-making, and efficiency. Winners will be announced at the sold-out #Goldens awards dinner on Thursday, May 17. The Taxpayers Association (@sdcta) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective and efficient government.

“We’re very excited to recognize the good work done this year,” said Haney Hong, President and CEO of the Taxpayers Association. “The Golden Awards Dinner is a great time to acknowledge local government’s biggest achievements and also the flops from the past year. We appreciate all the elected officials and notable San Diegans who come from across the region to participate in this event.”

In 2016, the Water Authority and Poseidon Water received the Grand Golden Watchdog from the Taxpayers Association for the Carlsbad Desalination Project for “stretching taxpayer dollars through cooperation between the public and private sectors.”

This year, the Water Authority is up for an award for its Emergency & Carryover Storage Project. The Project is composed of a system of reservoirs, interconnected pipelines, and pumping stations designed to make water available to the San Diego region if imported water deliveries are interrupted. The project added 90,100 acre-feet of water storage capacity for emergency use, and more than 105,000 acre-feet of carryover storage capacity as a hedge against dry years.

The project won an Award of Merit in the 2016 Global Best Projects competition held by the industry publication Engineering News-Record. It was also named Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association, and it won the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2017 International Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. For more about the project, click here.

The full list of finalists for the Golden Watchdog Award:

  • San Diego County Water Authority: Emergency and Carryover Storage Project
  • San Diego County Employees Retirement Association: Expense Reductions and Organizational Improvements
  • San Diego Community College District: Props S & N Bond Funds
  • San Dieguito Union High School District & Solana Beach School District: Collaboration During Construction