May 6, 2014 (BALTIMORE, MD) — Baltimore City Department of Public Works Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E., today announced that DPW will begin a water main testing project that will start May 12 and run through mid-July. This work will assess the condition of our ferrous (iron) water mains using state-of-the-art acoustic equipment called ePULSE.

This non-invasive procedure will measure the remaining average wall thickness of selected pipe segments and will also identify leaks. Through this process Baltimore can extrapolate the overall condition of area mains and prioritize for replacement or rehabilitation. Water service will not be interrupted by this work.
More than thirty sections of water mains, some up to two miles in length and ranging from six to 60 inches in diameter, will be investigated. The testing involves attaching a sensor to a valve and intermittently allowing a flow of water from a hydrant.  The sensor then collects the data from the sound of the running water in the pipes, allowing analysts to develop a condition assessment.

The testing locations are throughout the city including sections of Harford Road, Washington Street, South Broadway, Cold Spring Lane, and Northern Parkway. Testing will consist of the acoustic equipment SUV, technical staff and a hydrant crew member. Traffic control will be set up at every location, and each stop should take no longer than an hour.

“Using the best technology allows DPW to efficiently gather data on the condition of our aging water mains without digging up our streets,” said Director Chow. “This is just one of the cost-effective tools we use to plan our accelerated water main replacement program.”

In 2012 Baltimore utilized other high-tech equipment to examine the pre-stressed concrete SW Transmission Main. By doing so it enabled DPW to address a potential catastrophic pipe failure and immediately replace the damaged section of the line.
Echologics, based in Toronto, Canada, will be conducting this work for DPW.

Echologics is an affiliate of Mueller Water Products, a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America. The contract for this project is $400,000 and was awarded in January.