Key Takeaways

• RH Borden is now offering the Grundfos radar level sensor, previously used only internally for its BASINiQ process, directly to sewer operators nationwide.
• The sensor has nearly 1,000 active deployments across the U.S. through RH Borden, primarily for inflow and infiltration (I&I) studies.
• At $1,790 with two years of service included, and under $3,300 total cost of ownership over five years, it’s positioned as a scalable alternative to routine hotspot cleaning schedules.
• The sensor’s maintenance-free design and radar-based accuracy address two of the biggest barriers that have historically kept smart sewer monitoring out of reach for smaller utilities.

Caption: Turlock, California, gets a taste of the smart sewer.

RH Borden is releasing the Grundfos radar level sensor behind its BASINiQ process to sewer operators, making real-time smart-sewer monitoring affordable and scalable nationwide.

Over the last year, RH Borden has been quietly revolutionizing Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) assessment with its BASINiQ process. Now, the sensor that provides the level data for that process is available to sewer operators and will fundamentally change how sewer systems are managed across the United States. The smart sewer is now a possibility.

The Smart Sewer Vision Becomes Reality

The concept of a “smart sewer” isn’t new, it’s the idea that sanitary sewers should report back to operators when maintenance is needed, eliminating guesswork and reactive responses. RH Borden has been developing smart sewer solutions since 2018, when we first started using acoustic assessment to identify blockages in wastewater collection system pipes.

What’s been missing until now is a sensor technology that could deliver widespread, real-time data at scale. Previous sensor solutions were either too expensive, required too much maintenance, or were too complex to manage across hundreds or thousands of locations.

Why This Sensor is a Game-Changer

At RH Borden, we switched to this new sensor because of four key factors: data quality, ease of use, data connectivity, and software that allows us to manage hundreds, eventually thousands, of sensors from a single dashboard. What we quickly realized is that these characteristics don’t just make the sensor valuable for our operations, they make smart sewer deployment possible at scale for any operator.

The sensor is provided by Grundfos, and has already proven itself globally. This sensor has been installed in over 60,000 locations around the world, but notably absent from the United States, where it was only used by RH Borden. We currently have nearly 1,000 sensors deployed, primarily for inflow and infiltration (I&I) studies, with some functioning as surcharge alarms.

How This Fits Into an Actual I&I Study

It’s worth being specific about where this sensor fits into the broader process, since a sensor on its own doesn’t solve anything, it’s the data pipeline around it that matters. In a typical I&I study, sensors like this one are first deployed at the outfall of each major basin to identify which parts of a collection system are contributing the most excess flow during rain events. Once a problem basin is identified, a denser deployment within that specific area narrows the source down further. The radar sensor’s role throughout this process is to provide clean, continuous level readings, without the drift or interference issues that have historically made ultrasonic sensors harder to trust in humid or temperature-variable manhole environments.

Opening New Possibilities for Smart Sewer Deployment

At the beginning of May 2025, RH Borden received permission to make these sensors available to the broader market. This represents a significant shift for wastewater professionals who have long struggled with tools that were either too expensive or too cumbersome to deploy at scale.

Getting Started with the Smart Sewer—No More Hotspots

If you run a sanitary sewer system, you can start by installing sensors at hotspot or high-frequency cleaning locations in your system. Then, instead of cleaning every month or quarter, you only clean when real-time data indicates it’s actually needed. This approach is both less expensive than routine hotspot cleaning and significantly less risky because decisions are based on current conditions rather than predetermined schedules.

Many system operators know they’re either under or over-cleaning their systems. This is a problem, especially in areas with historical problems. With data-driven operations, operators provide just the right amount of maintenance at the right time.

How are the New Sensors Different?

These sensors differ from commonly used alternatives in the United States:

• Maintenance-Free Design: These are completely sealed units with no user-serviceable parts, a five-year battery, and no external transmitter required. They don’t mount to manhole lids and can generally transmit data from inside the vault without external antennas. They also hold a five-year warranty.
• Radar vs. Ultrasonics: The radar technology produces clean data that isn’t affected by temperature or humidity variations.
• Cellular vs. Satellite: Data transmission uses cellular signals rather than satellite communications, making connections easier to establish and maintain.
• Cost: The purchase price for the Grundfos sensor from RH Borden is just $1,790, which includes two years of service and warranty. And the extendable warranty means the total cost of ownership for five years is under $3,300.

Is This Sensor Right for Your System?

Not every collection system needs a thousand-sensor rollout on day one. Most operators start small, placing a handful of units at known problem areas or chronic hotspot locations, and expand from there once they see how the data changes their maintenance decisions. If your system already has a rough sense of where your worst flow issues are, but you’ve never had continuous data to confirm it, this is typically the easiest starting point.

Bringing Smart Sewer Monitoring to Your System

The smart sewer isn’t a future concept anymore, it’s a sensor that’s already proven itself in over 60,000 installations worldwide and nearly 1,000 deployments across U.S. collection systems, now available to any operator ready to move from scheduled guesswork to real-time data. Whether you’re targeting a handful of known hotspots or planning a full basin-by-basin I&I study, the barrier that used to keep this kind of monitoring out of reach, cost and complexity, has largely been removed.

RH Borden has spent years building the smart sewer approach from the ground up, starting with acoustic assessments in 2018 and now extending into affordable, scalable sensor deployment.  It’s one piece of a broader effort to help municipalities run on data instead of guesswork, alongside services like BASINiQ I&I location studies, manhole virtual models, and GIS-based system dashboards. If you’re ready to see what continuous, real-time data can tell you about your own system, visit rhborden.com to connect with our team and find the right starting point for your collection system. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an existing BASINiQ study to use this sensor, or can I purchase it on its own?

The sensor is now available directly to operators, independent of a full BASINiQ engagement, though it integrates naturally with that process if you’re already working with RH Borden on an I&I study.

How long does the battery actually last in real-world conditions?

The sensor is built around a five-year battery life as a sealed, maintenance-free unit, which is part of why it doesn’t require the recurring site visits that many older sensor technologies do. The five-year battery warranty is based on default usage: 15-minute measurements, daily data uploads, and the occasional alarm.

Will this work in areas with weak cellular coverage?

Since data transmission relies on cellular signal rather than satellite, coverage does matter. Most municipal areas have adequate coverage for this, but rural systems with known dead zones should confirm signal strength at planned sensor locations before installation.

Can this sensor also help with sewer cleaning schedules, not just I&I?

Yes. Some operators use it primarily as a surcharge alarm or to validate whether a hotspot location genuinely needs monthly or quarterly cleaning, rather than defaulting to a fixed schedule regardless of actual conditions.

How does this compare in cost to traditional flow monitoring equipment?

At $1,790 with two years of service included, and under $3,300 over five years with the extended warranty, it’s positioned to be significantly more accessible than legacy flow monitoring setups, which often carry higher upfront costs and ongoing maintenance visits.