When she became co-owner of Orlando-based wastewater contractor LRIE, Inc., Karoline Headrick and her business partner decided it was time to transition away from recording inspections by hand.

“It was very challenging doing everything on paper,” notes Headrick, who manages all of the contractor’s inspection data.

Even with the help of the CleverScan automated manhole scanner, which completes an entire scan in just a few minutes, inspecting by hand is time-consuming. Headrick explains that to meet NASSCO’s MACP (Manhole Assessment Certification Program) standards, “There are 117 questions to go through for each manhole inspection; it takes about one and a half hours to get through all 117 working by hand.”

Expanding inspection bandwidth

Hoping to bring her team of manhole assessment specialists more up to date, Headrick adopted WinCan sewer inspection software into LRIE’s toolbox. This step towards utilizing newer assessment technologies has made a world of difference for the contractor’s inspection team.

“Now, we just send the WinCan crew our raw data scans, and they run them through their automated system. It only takes a week for them to process, review and return a batch of 150-200 scans.”

Creating field maps using mapping software like Esri’s ArcGIS and Survey123 has also simplified the inspection process, Headrick says. These technological improvements have afforded the company the opportunity to help more municipalities meet their inspection needs, even with the challenge of finding labor in today’s environment.

“Our team went from completing just 35-40 manhole scans a day to over 100 a day with the help of newer technologies,” she says. “Utilizing AI [via WinCan’s Sewermatics] and other newer tech has been super helpful.”

MACP-certified WinCan software has also allowed the contractor to better redistribute its resources. In the pre-software days, the company consisted of two inspection crews with three operators each, as well as five evaluators. Today, it includes only one evaluator and one inspection crew of two operators.

Its newfound greater bandwidth has opened the contractor up to new opportunities. “Before, we were trying to evaluate 2,500 manholes per year,” Headrick says. “Now, we can meet almost any number we get thrown at us.”

The proof is in the pudding. Currently, her team is contracted for a long-term, multiyear project that involves inspecting 22,000 of a municipality’s approximately 70,000 manholes. With a bandwidth of over 10,000 manhole assessments per year, the crew is prepared to make quick work of the project.

“My favorite part of the job is exploring these new technologies. … Implementing them out in the field and being able to provide our customers with the same high-quality deliverable [as in the pre-software days] makes a big difference.”

Want to experience WinCan’s suite of inspection mapping and analysis tools for yourself? Request a free software demo today.

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