Sewer Agencies Using SewerAI to Speed Up Maintenance Process

Sewer waste management is one of the most essential — and least glamorous — jobs in America. And in today's labor market, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find workers willing to do it. Yet cities across the country depend on it for public health and the long-term integrity of their infrastructure. Denver7 (KMGH-TV) and Scripps National recently reported on how the City of Galveston, Texas is turning to artificial intelligence to meet this challenge head-on.

A Dirty Job Nobody Wants

The City of Galveston is responsible for regularly assessing and cleaning its sewer pipes — a task that requires skilled workers willing to operate in demanding conditions. Justin Guerra, utilities supervisor for the City of Galveston, describes what crews encounter on the job:

"Looks like we have a lot of silt. That's an indicator for infiltration. We're getting infiltration somewhere along this pipe."

Trino Pedraza, Director of Public Works and Utilities for the City of Galveston, is candid about the recruitment challenge:

"It's a dirty job. A lot of people don't want to do it. Nobody wants to step in it, be around it. It's already a little difficult to get people in the utility business because we're not the highest-paid group. We're public servants."

The staffing shortage is acute. Pedraza notes that open positions have gone unfilled for months:

"Right now, applicants are just not coming in. We've had positions open for six months, but what we can do is make sure that people aren't leaving. What's important is that we're applying the money that we do have and the resources that we do have to the areas in need."

Investing in AI to Maximize Workforce Capacity

Faced with workforce constraints and a growing backlog of infrastructure needs, Galveston chose to invest in artificial intelligence — specifically, SewerAI's AutoCode technology — to help its existing workers accomplish more.

Eric Sullivan, Director of Business Development at SewerAI, explains how AutoCode works:

"Our primary technology is called AutoCode and what we do is we've trained a number of AI computer vision models to automatically identify conditions inside of the pipe. Now, the operators don't have to do all that manual data entry. We've documented a doubling of production. It does depend and in some cases, we've had folks accomplish more than a doubling of production in a day."

By automating the time-consuming process of manually reviewing and coding CCTV inspection footage, AutoCode frees operators to focus on higher-value work — and dramatically increases the volume of pipe that can be assessed each day.

Aging Infrastructure and a D+ Report Card

The urgency behind Galveston's investment reflects a national crisis. The 2021 Infrastructure Report Card gave the U.S. wastewater system a grade of D+, underscoring the scale of deferred maintenance and the public health risks it poses.

Sullivan warns that inaction carries serious consequences:

"This type of issue unaddressed is going to continue to cause public health problems."

Economist Stephan Weiler offers broader context on what AI-driven productivity gains mean for the workforce:

"Technology does replace workers but it also makes the workers that stay, much more efficient. You get the sense that this really is sort of a once in a lifetime kind of reorganization of workers and workers in companies."

Faster Data, Better Decisions

For Galveston, the impact of SewerAI's technology extends beyond productivity gains. The richer, faster data flowing from AutoCode-powered inspections is enabling smarter decision-making at every level of the organization. Pedraza explains:

"That productivity is leading to other data that's allowing personnel like myself and the engineering department to make decisions to go and take care of areas that are in need and we're having that information faster."

By getting actionable inspection data into the hands of engineers and managers more quickly, Galveston can prioritize repairs more effectively — directing limited resources to the pipes and areas that need attention most.

This story was originally reported by Chloe Nordquist for Denver7 (KMGH-TV) / Scripps National on December 17, 2021.