In drought-stricken cities, water conservation means jetting smarter. With numerous states facing their driest spells in history, many are being forced to find new ways to conserve water. Sewer cleaning is a municipal activity that consumes tremendous quantities of freshwater, and yet many municipalities lack a plan to clean smarter in the midst of dwindling water supplies.

According to research, up to 35 percent of sewer lines are jetted unnecessarily as part of regularly scheduled cleaning and maintenance. Most cleaning crews have no way to determine in advance whether a pipe actually needs cleaning. And even when cleaning is warranted, choosing the right nozzle is seldom more than a guessing game.

While the technology to visually assess pipe conditions exists, the savings in time and money are easy to ignore when budgets and workload are already established. But now, scarce water supply is changing the equation in many cities. Municipal supervisors are compelled to pre-screen sewer pipes in order to identify which ones warrant jetting, and to assess what tools are needed to clean the pipes most effectively.

In the world of sewer jetting, knowing what you are up against has many benefits. It allows municipalities to accomplish routine maintenance cleaning more effectively and efficiently. It allows jetter operators to use the right tools for the job. Most important, it saves municipalities from wasting time, money and particularly water.

This post is an excerpt from a whitepaper, "Clean Sewers With Half the Water." Download it here.