In 2010, Kansas City agreed to limit the quantity of overflow coming out of its sewers. Now, this is happening through the use of smart technology.
Through three hundred sensors placed around the 300 plus square miles of the city, Kansas City can monitor water levels within the sewers at all times.
Whenever there is rain, a storm, or an event, the system will transmit how much water is within any one pipe, which provides wastewater infrastructure management to see where the problem areas are within the sewer network.
KSHB Kansas City reports, quoting Special Assistant City Manager Andy Shively:
Shively connected Montestruque’s Indiana-based company to deploy what they call the world’s first artificially intelligent sewer sensor network.
“By getting that information, allowing the machine learning, artificial intelligence to predict how the sewer would react during the next wet weather event, it allows us to build infrastructure in a much smarter way, a cost-efficient way.” Shively said. “And the benefits are not just to the environments and to the community but the rent-payers who are funding this work and so we want to make sure that the rent-payer is getting the most bang for their buck.”
Kansas City is the first in the world to employ this kind of sewer technology and could well be leading the way and setting an achievable goal for wastewater infrastructure management nationwide and even worldwide.
In May 2021, Kansas City joined the United for Infrastructure 2021 with other organisations, a week-long education and advocacy event that aimed to raise awareness of the need to invest in infrastructure.
During the event, the city released a new video about their Smart Sewer Program, using technology and green infrastructure to improve the city’s sewer infrastructure and reduce overflows.
You can watch the video below:
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