BACKGROUND

DC Water maintains approximately 1,800 miles of sanitary and combined sewers, nine pump/lift stations, 22 flow-meter stations, 75,000 catch basins, and one of the largest treatment plants in the world.

DC Water’s Potomac Interceptor (PI) is a 50-mile-long linear system that carries about 60 million gallons of wastewater a day from communities in several counties and the Washington Dulles International Airport to the Potomac Pumping Station in Washington, DC. Flows from the pump station are then sent through the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant before being discharged into the Potomac River. Overall, on an average day, close to 300 million gallons of raw sewage flows into the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.

SUMMARY

Installation of the six SmartCover H₂S sensors along the Potomac Interceptor (PI) marked a significant advancement for DC Water, empowering the organization to transition from a reactive to a proactive approach in managing its infrastructure. With these sensors in place, DC Water can access real-time data streams, offering immediate insights into the condition of the PI. This transformative capability enabled crews to swiftly identify instances of odor breakthroughs, even when they occurred at remote locations 50 miles away.

Armed with this information, maintenance teams can promptly pinpoint the exact source of the issue and take corrective measures before it escalates. As a result, the deployment of SmartCover H₂S sensors not only enhanced the operational efficiency of DC Water and resulted in significant cost savings, but also contributed to the overall integrity and reliability of the Potomac Interceptor system.

Interested in finding out how our SmartCover solutions can work for you? Reach out to sales@smartcoversystems.com or call (855) 291-1980.