How To Choose the Right Maintenance Partner for Your Infrastructure Project

Maintaining stormwater and wastewater infrastructure requires more than routine inspections and repairs. It demands a highly skilled team that understands the intricate dynamics of these systems. The stakes are high, and without the right expertise, you risk operational inefficiencies, regulatory fines, and infrastructure failures. But selecting the right maintenance partner for your infrastructure project can be challenging. To make an informed decision and increase the likelihood of a successful project, you must carefully consider a few key factors.

Technical expertise and certification

At the heart of any infrastructure project is the technical knowledge and experience of the service provider. For stormwater and wastewater systems, this expertise must go beyond general knowledge of repairs to understanding the nuances of collection systems, including flow dynamics, material longevity, corrosion resistance, and regulatory compliance.

A good maintenance partner will have extensive experience with closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspections, pipeline condition assessment technologies, and interpreting data from geospatial and hydraulic models. These technical skills allow them to identify potential failures before they manifest into costly breakdowns.

Also, check for industry-recognized certifications. Providers with certifications such as NASSCO’s Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) credentials demonstrate a commitment to using the latest standards in sanitary sewer and stormwater maintenance. Certification should not be optional. It’s a baseline for ensuring technicians operate with proven, up-to-date knowledge. If your prospective partner lacks these credentials, you might be exposing your project to unnecessary risk.

Knowledge of local and federal regulations

Infrastructure maintenance is tightly regulated. Missteps in adhering to environmental compliance can result in significant fines, delays, and reputational damage. Your maintenance partner should have an understanding of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) requirements and be proactive in providing solutions that maintain compliance. This includes managing stormwater runoff quality, adhering to total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocations, and using best management practices (BMPs) to control pollutants.

Don’t assume all providers have this level of regulatory expertise. Ask for examples of how they have navigated compliance in past projects. Better yet, request to see the documentation they used for regulatory submissions and inspections.

Emergency response capabilities

While regular maintenance can prevent many problems, stormwater and wastewater systems are subject to unpredictable events. Flooding, hazardous spills, and system backups can happen unexpectedly and require immediate action. This is where having a maintenance partner like Envirowaste Services Group (EWSG) with emergency response capabilities becomes indispensable.

An exceptional partner can mitigate damage through the quick deployment of specialized teams, advanced diagnostics, and remediation technologies. During an emergency, time is of the essence. Your provider should be able to deploy inspection drones, vacuum trucks, and specialized cleaning and jetting equipment to respond within hours, not days.

The partner should also have an established process for wet-weather flow monitoring and rapid event-driven analysis to assess infrastructure stress points. A maintenance provider without a dedicated response protocol for weather-related surges in the system is ill-equipped to handle emergencies effectively.

Technology and data integration

Your stormwater or wastewater project can benefit immensely from a maintenance partner that embraces technology. Modern infrastructure management goes beyond manual inspections and repairs. It involves utilizing advanced monitoring systems, predictive analytics, and asset management software for continuous, real-time monitoring of system health.

For example, innovative companies like EWSG can utilize remote sensor technology to track flow rates, detect blockages, and monitor pressure levels without requiring manual intervention. This not only reduces labor costs but also provides valuable data on system performance.

References and past performance

Reputable maintenance partners will have an extensive portfolio of successful projects along with detailed performance reports. These reports should include data on system downtime, cost savings, and infrastructure improvements achieved under their stewardship.

When reviewing past performance, pay attention to metrics such as mean time to repair (MTTR) and mean time between failures (MTBF). Providers that can demonstrate a clear reduction in MTTR and an increase in MTBF over time are the ones that have effectively implemented preventative maintenance strategies, extending the life of their clients’ infrastructure.

Making an informed decision

Choosing the right maintenance partner for your stormwater or wastewater infrastructure project is not a decision to be made lightly. By evaluating a potential provider’s technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, emergency response capabilities, technological integration, and past performance, you’ll be well-positioned to make a decision that ensures your system remains functional and compliant for years to come.

Make your choice wisely. Your infrastructure depends on it.