Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)—extraneous water from sources like rain or groundwater entering sewer systems—is a significant and costly problem for municipalities. It can account for 35-50% of all treated wastewater, leading to overflows, increased treatment costs, environmental impacts, and public health threats. The main challenge isn’t fixing I&I, but finding its precise location.

Traditional I&I detection methods like smoke testing, manhole inspections, and CCTV are often limited, labor-intensive, and only about 30% effective. They may miss subsurface leaks, are weather-dependent, don’t quantify flow, or require extensive public notification and confined space entry.

BASINiQ, developed by RH Borden Smart Solutions, is a new, data-driven approach that identifies I&I sources 10-20 times faster than traditional methods. This service leverages a combination of technologies:

• Understanding Basins: The process begins by analyzing a system’s GIS shape file to decompose it into distinct basins (collections of pipes with a common outfall, typically 2-10 miles in size). This step, offered as a free consultation, helps prioritize and systematically address I&I issues across an entire collection system.

• Major Basin Study: This initial study involves placing a sensor at the outfall of each major basin. During rain events, these sensors simultaneously detect additional flow, allowing municipalities to compare and prioritize which basins are the biggest contributors of I&I.

• Target Basin Study: Once problem basins are identified, a Target Basin Study involves a dense deployment of 30-100+ sensors (around 7 sensors per mile) within that specific basin. This high-resolution network allows for pinpointing I&I sources down to within a couple hundred feet, or typically 1-2 manholes.

Key Technologies and Components: BASINiQ’s effectiveness stems from combining:

• Radar-based Level Sensors: These lightweight, accurate, and easy-to-deploy sensors can be installed without confined space entry and left in place for weeks or months (typically up to 5 months).
• Manhole Virtual Models (MVMs): High-resolution 3D lidar scans create a “digital twin” of each manhole. This precise geometry, when combined with level readings and Manning’s equation (an industry standard), allows for accurate estimation of flow. This MVM is an added bonus provided with the I&I study.
• Precision Weather Tracking: BASINiQ integrates with the Baron Weather Network, a high-resolution service used by organizations like NASA and Garmin. It provides weather updates every half-mile, every four minutes across the U.S., enabling direct correlation between rain events and increased flow.

Identifying I&I Signatures: The system distinguishes different flow patterns to identify specific I&I types:

• Inflow: Characterized by a sudden spike and quick drop during rain events, often from surface connections like missing manhole lids or illegal roof drain hook-ups.
• Infiltration: Shows a more gradual rise and slow decrease, typically from subsurface issues like cracks in pipes or manholes, where groundwater saturates and seeps in. BASINiQ helps identify these persistent leaks that may affect systems year-round.

BASINiQ assessments can locate I&I within 60 to 90 days, drastically reducing the time it traditionally takes to achieve significant I&I reduction. This allows utilities to apply capital resources with high assurance of successful remediation.

To begin, municipalities can send their shape file for a free initial basin breakdown and project estimate.