What’s going on under Yorkton? The sewer system has been built and re-built multiple times over the years, and time is not an ally to infrastructure at the best of times.
The City of Yorkton is going under the city with a small robot to see the state of the city’s sewer system, spot problem areas and help the city prioritize what parts of the infrastructure are in need of replacement.
They do this with a small, six-wheeled robot with a camera mounted on the front, controlled by a nearby truck. That robot runs through the sewer system, while the operator looks for cracks, roots or debris. Demonstrating the system, at the storm sewer at the intersection of Delaere and Mayhew, the little robot plowed through ice and climbed over some rocks and other debris, spotting a few small cracks along the way. The robot is very adaptable, with different wheels that work for different pipes that might be inspected on any given day.
Rene Richard, director of engineering and asset management for the City of Yorkton, says that the plan is to get the city’s sewer system on a five year rotation, with every sewer system inspected once every half-decade.
Given that the sewer system has been built over many decades with many different methods, it’s inevitable that the condition can vary quite a lot.
“There’s wide range, dependant on age and depending on the type of material of pipe. We do have issues with root penetration and things like that.”
Before the city brought the inspection in house, they had to hire someone to do the same work, something Richard describes as being very expensive.
