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Sensors Help Arizona Utility Locate Inflow and Infiltration

RH Borden technician is inspecting a sewer manhole for Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) locating services.

RH Borden’s iTracker sensors helped Green Valley Water, AZ pinpoint the top 2 basins and 5 manholes causing monsoon I&I after just 2–3 rain events.

Problem: Each year, monsoons hit Payson, Arizona, and within 24 hours, Green Valley Water dealt with water entering the collections system and pouring into the treatment facility at a rate nearly double the normal daily inflow. Smoke testing, CCTV, flowmeters and other isolation techniques had proven ineffective.

Solution: In 2023, Green Valley Water incorporated a service from RH Borden called iTrackers. They are sensors that can be deployed in a network and monitor water levels at all times. When rain comes, these sensors work together and can pinpoint exactly where the I&I is coming from. RH Borden deploys iTracking either across full collections systems to assess all major basins or in a targeted way on a single basin.

Result: After only two to three rain events, RH Borden identified the top two basins in the system contributing to I&I and also the top five manholes in those basins where the I&I was entering. With this pinpoint accuracy, Green Valley now knows where to make the necessary repairs to stop the I&I from entering.