Over a period of five years, Banning Engineering partnered with the City of Martinsville to map and assess their sanitary sewer and stormwater utility systems. Many of the city’s underground pipes and structures were decades old — some dating back generations. Rather than wait for critical failures, city leaders chose to take proactive steps to strengthen their infrastructure through pipe lining, a method that seals cracks and gaps without full pipe replacement.
This approach is both cost-effective and efficient, preventing excess groundwater from entering the sanitary system — which, if left unaddressed, would increase the volume of water needing treatment at the wastewater plant and raise operational costs.
The project was driven by the power of mobile GIS mapping technology, which is transforming how communities manage their utilities. With Banning’s support GIS Mapping, Martinsville was able to fully leverage this technology for their wastewater and stormwater related infrastructure. Using comprehensive utility mapping data as a foundation, our team analyzed the condition of the city’s sanitary sewer pipes and identified the areas most in need of rehabilitation.
Next came pipe cleaning and camera inspections, which allowed for a detailed look at internal conditions before the lining process began. Ultimately, the city lined approximately 6 miles of sanitary pipe, resulting in a noticeable reduction in the volume of water treated at the wastewater plant. Encouraged by these results, Martinsville is now preparing for a second round of improvements.
This innovative and collaborative project didn’t go unnoticed. Thanks in part to Banning Engineering’s role in the mapping phase, the City of Martinsville received the “Excellence in GIS” award from the Indiana Geographic Information Council — a recognition of forward-thinking leadership and the smart use of modern technology.
We’re proud to have supported this award-winning effort and look forward to continuing our work with Martinsville and other communities investing in more resilient, better-managed utility systems.
~ Pete Rusche