Why your service line inventory isnât done
Water systems across the US submitted their inventories to their state regulators as part of LCRR compliance on Oct. 16, 2024, and the first ârealâ hurdle is over. It may feel like the finish line, but itâs actually just the first step.
Q&A: Using predictions to assess large diameter water main risk
Learn how predictive modeling can assess large-diameter water main risks, even with limited break history. Discover how BlueConduitâs data-driven approach helps prioritize maintenance and reduce costly failures.
Meet the team: Charley Shamaly
Charley is BlueConduitâs VP of Engineering. Get to know Charley through this quick Q&A.
Why predictive analytics is the future of water main risk management
Forward looking water main management is critical for water utilities. With responsibilities that include water safety, water loss, keeping customer rates low, and minimizing public disruption, utility leaders have their hands full. A comprehensive, efficient approach to understanding the state of their buried water infrastructure and addressing risks before they become big problems is critical. […]
Goshen, Indiana: Using statistical methods to classify unknown service lines as non-lead
Goshen is a city of 35,000 people in northern Indiana. It has been a city-owned and operated water utility since the 1830s with roughly 12,000 service lines. They chose to use predictive modeling to reduce service lines of unknown material in their system after exhausting their pre-existing identification methods, including records review, home age analysis, […]
Artificial intelligence accelerates lead pipe removal in U.S. cities
This article was originally published on The Rockefeller Foundation website. Imagine sitting down at your dinner and being asked: âTap water with lead, or bottled?â Itâs not a question anyone wants to hear, but this remains the reality for over nine million households in America still serviced by water main pipes made of lead that connect to […]
BlueConduit announces Charley Shamaly as VP of Engineering
December 19, 2024, Ann Arbor, Mich. â BlueConduit is pleased to announce the addition of Charley Shamaly, Vice President of Engineering, to its leadership team. Shamalyâs addition brings more than 20 years of software engineering and leadership experience to BlueConduit and accelerates the companyâs ability to develop AI and predictive modeling technology for water systems […]
Lead out: water systems nationwide miss crucial deadline to identify their lead pipes
Weâre excited to share that BlueConduit was recently featured in InvestigateTV for our work in using predictive modeling to locate and replace lead service lines across the U.S. Below is a snippet from the article. Read the full post here. Futuristic solutions to a century-old problem Despite the numerous challenges surrounding lead service line replacements, […]
Team voices: why weâre proud to work at BlueConduit
The end of the year always makes us reflect on what weâve accomplished and what weâre grateful for. At BlueConduit, weâre incredibly grateful for our wonderful customers, partners, and team members. Take a look at what theyâre most grateful for at the end of 2024. “I’m thankful for our customers’ eagerness to dive into model […]
2024 in review: what our partners appreciate most about BlueConduit
The end of the year always makes us reflect on what we’ve accomplished and what we’re grateful for. At BlueConduit, we’re incredibly grateful for our wonderful customers, partners, and team members. Take a look at what they’re most grateful for at the end of 2024. “I am grateful for the help BlueConduit provided to [Des […]
Using predictive modeling for proactive water main planning in Mobile, AL
Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) provides water and wastewater services to over 100,000 customers in Mobile, Alabama and surrounding areas. On average, MAWSS delivers 41 million gallons of clean water per day through 1,605 miles of water mains. MAWSSâ drinking water is sourced from nearby Big Creek Lake. Roughly 50% of the water […]
Unknown management for no and low lead: by the numbers
Water systems with historically low or no levels of lead may think theyâre in the clear when it comes to LCRI compliance â after all, they donât have many (or any) pipes to replace. But if there are any lines of unknown material, they must be presumed lead until classified otherwise.
How do I prioritize reclassifying the unknowns in my system?
Editorâs note: BlueConduit recently hosted a webinar around LCRI compliance and managing service lines of unknown material. In this series, we detail some of the questions we received. How do I start classifying the unknowns in my system? Your initial inventory has been submitted, and youâve found you have a high volume of service lines […]
If you have service lines that were determined to be non-lead using statistical analysis, do you still have to pothole them?
Editorâs note: BlueConduit recently hosted a webinar around LCRI compliance and managing service lines of unknown material. In this series, we detail some of the questions we received. We had this question from our webinar: If you have service lines that were determined to be non-lead using statistical analysis, do you still have to pothole […]
The City of Bloomington utilities releases water service line inventory
This article was originally published on The City of Bloomington website. The City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) has released a water service line inventory in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) guidelines for the updated Lead & Copper Rule. The service line inventory is available through 120Water, […]
What the LCRI says about unknown management
With the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) released on Oct. 8, water systems have updated requirements for managing service lines with unknown materials. In this blog post, weâll break down those requirements. Letâs first define what an unknown service line is. In the initial inventory submission due in October 2024, water systems were allowed […]
Weighted model, regression, or machine learning for water mains: how do they stack up?
The American Water Works Associationâs M77 manual âCondition Assessment of Water Mainsâ defines risk as: Risk = (Likelihood of failure) * (Consequence of failure) For a likelihood of failure (LoF) analysis, the manual recommends using a weighted model. The manual also notes that predictive modeling, which we define as machine learning models, can be used to […]
Predictive modeling for water main condition assessments: M77 manual guidance
Letâs face it: reactive water infrastructure management isnât working. By waiting for water mains to break before taking action, utilities risk high, unanticipated costs, public disruption, safety concerns, and loss of community trust. So, what does it look like to move from reactive to proactive when it comes to water main management? Proactive water main […]
A quick guide to LCRI compliance
The EPA released the long-anticipated Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) on Oct. 8. This new guidance provides more specific requirements for water systems as it relates to water testing, unknown management and lead line replacements. Below, we give a quick breakdown of the new rule in several key areas: Whatâs the difference between the […]
How increased precipitation impacts water main breaks (and how predictive modeling can help)
With communities across North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia still reeling and cleaning up from the recent Hurricane Helene, alongside shifting hurricane patterns and intensity in the past several seasons, weâve been thinking a lot about heavy rain and changing weather patterns. While factors like pipe age, material, and soil conditions are commonly understood to impact […]
LSL replacement strategy: 7 questions to jumpstart the LSL replacement planning process
With the arrival of the EPAâs Oct 16 deadline for initial Service Line Inventories and the release of the new Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), water systems are now required to create a replacement plan for their lead service lines (LSLs) and galvanized-requiring-replacement (GRR) lines. LSL/GRR replacement is a daunting, expensive, yearslong project for […]
Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI): a shift to mandatory service line replacement within 10 years
On October 8, 2024, the EPA released the new Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). The LCRI is anchored on President Bidenâs commitment to âreplace every lead pipe in the country within 10 years.â The LCRI introduces a host of new compliance requirements related to lead service line (LSL) replacements, unknown management, tap sampling, and […]
The Oct 16 deadline is here! Now what?
We talk a lot about âcomplianceâ but the reality is that compliance is complicated and changes over time. This series breaks down compliance requirements across the LCR and the proposed LCRI to help you understand the who, what, and when of compliance. Weâve been talking about October 16, 2024 for yearsâŠand itâs finally here. Initial Service […]
Why LeadOut Map matters now
BlueConduit recently launched LeadOut Map, the first and only educational tool that provides the most complete picture of lead in drinking water, including predictions of where lead pipes may lie. With the launch of LeadOut, weâre taking a moment to reflect on BlueConduitâs history â how a group of data scientists became experts at, and […]
Ready for LSL replacements?: 7 key datasets to get you started
With initial service line inventories complete or nearly complete, water systems with lead and GRR are turning their attention to replacement planning. The upcoming LCRI guidance is expected to outline timeline and requirements for replacement planning (among other requirements). It is also expected to include a deadline for the submission of an initial replacement plan, […]
Cost implications of unknown SLs
The October LCRR inventory deadline is almost here, and while water systems are heavily invested in ensuring their Inventories are compliant and submitted to their regulators on time, there will be a lot of work that still needs to be done starting Oct. 17. As weâve mentioned before, a water systemâs Inventory is compliant as […]
Whatâs the difference between AI and Machine Learning (ML)?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is huge right now, and everyone is talking about its potential. That said, machine learning (ML) also has its own buzz. While these concepts are sometimes used interchangeably, does that mean theyâre the same thing? If not, how are they different? In this post, weâll explore just that. TL;DR: If you want […]
Why you shouldn’t use water main age alone to assess pipe condition
The country’s water infrastructure is aging, and some claim it’s a looming disaster. But before you panic, just remember: pipe age isn’t the only factor that determines its condition. Just like that vintage bottle of wine that gets better with time (or that old pair of jeans you can’t bear to throw away), some pipes […]
How BlueConduitâs work in Flint helped lay the groundwork for LSL policy nationwide
BlueConduit recently launched LeadOut Map, the first and only educational tool that provides the most complete picture of the presence of lead pipes in drinking water systems, including predictions of where lead pipes may lie. With the launch of LeadOut, weâre taking a moment to reflect on BlueConduitâs history â how a group of data […]
AI speeds citiesâ lead pipe search with EPA deadline weeks away
Originally published on Bloomberg Law by Bobby Magill. Detroit is among a few cities using a new artificial intelligence-driven tool to find lead drinking water pipes, saving the city millions of dollars and helping it in its scramble to meet the EPAâs Oct. 16 inventory deadline. BlueConduit, which was founded by University of Michigan researchers […]
