In the pipeline
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
A high-definition steerable camera allows the Post Falls water reclamation department to survey blockages when they are still in earlier stages.
Courtesy photo
A root ball obstruction within the sewer system was discovered using the mobile CCTV system in Post Falls.
Post Falls water reclamation staff are now able to review sewer lines that are difficult to access in person remotely from their mobile unit.
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | September 12, 2025 1:06 AM
POST FALLS — City staff can now see what’s happening in the 194 miles of sewer line in Post Falls for themselves before a major disruption occurs.
Post Falls utility manager Craig Borrenpohl called the CCTV truck and mobile tractor camera “a highly valuable tool” allowing city staff to pinpoint problems.
City staff can confirm the connection status for a property within the sewer system and no longer need to dig up large sections to find a problem area.
“It helps us to be proactive in our operation of the collection system so that we’re finding a problem before everyone sees the problem,” Borrenpohl said.
Post Falls purchased a CCTV truck and camera in 2024 to help water reclamation staff in inspecting the wastewater collection system, find problem areas and prioritize maintenance to reduce backups and other issues.
On average, the system moves 2.8 million gallons of water as a daily average to the water reclamation facility.
Although there are 4,200 manholes built into the system to view possible obstructions in person, Borrenpohl said the camera system has been a boon to the department for locations that are difficult to access.
“There's a lot that goes on down there that we can’t see just with our own eyes from these manholes,” he said.
With residential blockages, the tractor camera allows staff to identify the area where the blockage occurred so they can do outreach with residents and avoid future issues.
When a tree or large bush begins growing in the sewer system, water reclamation staff can identify it before the root system causes issues.
Similarly, when something strange was happening in a pipe on 12th Avenue, staff learned the issue was rocks in the pipe through the tractor camera.
“We would have found it the hard way later,” Borrenpohl said.
A root ball obstruction within the sewer system was discovered using the mobile camera system in Post Falls.
Post Falls water reclamation staff are now able to review sewer lines that are difficult to access in person remotely from their mobile unit.ARTICLES BY CAROLYN BOSTICK
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