Barriada Figueroa Sewer Identification and Mapping Assessment Pilot Project

The Figueroa area sanitary and storm sewer systems were identified as an environmental concern by the Environmental Protection Agency due to the presence of sanitary sewage in the storm sewer system and the high flow observed during rain events in the sanitary sewer system. These conditions suggested the existence of multiple interconnections between the systems. The lack of maps and the irregular configuration of the system made the identification of deficiencies and interconnections a complex and challenging task. Based on our performance on previous projects and the proposed approach, ENTECH was selected by Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority to develop a system map and perform a condition assessment of the sanitary and storm sewer systems. The main objective was to identify interconnections between the systems and significant deficiencies which compromised their operations. The first task was to perform a system reconnaissance to determine the location and connectivity of the system assets. To accomplish this, all of the accessible surface access points were visited and characterized by performing visual inspection, dye testing and zoom camera inspections. This data was used to develop a preliminary geodatabase of both systems as a foundation for the subsequent condition assessment tasks. The reconnaissance was followed by a condition assessment which included performing zoom camera inspection of all surface access points and sewer pipes and CCTV Inspection of selected sewer pipes. The condition of each as-set was recorded following NASSCO’s MACP and PACP standards. The information was collected in NASSCO approved databases and incorporated into PRASA’s GIS system.