Breakthrough Technology Provides Actionable Data to Guide Replacement of Lead Pipes Financed by $15 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA, July 20, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Electro Scan Inc. announced today that the company received the ‘Top Product of the Year Award’ from the elite Environment + Energy Leader Awards program for its groundbreaking SWORDFISH lead pipe detection product. The company's innovative SWORDFISH solution represents the first solution to accurately and reliably locate lead pipes.

While many cities have chosen to dig one or more test pits to attempt to determine lead pipes, when fully exposed, Electro Scan's SWORDFISH uses low-voltage electric resistance to navigate through pressurized or unpressurized pipes entering through a customer's meter or curb stop.

In 2020, the Water Research Foundation (WRF) determine that no commercially available solution existed to locate and confirm lead pipes, publishing a separate study that same year that indicated electrical resistance was capable of differentiating lead vs. copper pipes.

"We are delighted to bring SWORDFISH to the market," stated Chuck Hansen, Chairman & CEO, Electro Scan Inc. "Especially given the alternative of expensive and messy digging up a customer's yard by potholing or hydro-excavation."

SWORDFISH is currently shipping to cities, consulting engineers, and water utilities, either purchased directly from Electro Scan Inc. or an authorized reseller at a retail price of $70,000.

SWORDFISH's ease of operation and interest by water suppliers with 'no known' lead pipes to confirm the absence of lead in customer service lines, SWORDFISH appeals to both large and small drinking water suppliers, with demand ranging from 6,500 to 12,000 units in the United States over the next 3-5 years. Additionally, international demand is already coming from the EU and UK water markets where major lead replacement programs are already underway.

Electron Scan's best product award was announced earlier this week at the 8th Annual Environment + Energy Leader Solutions Summit, July 19 & 20, 2022.

Field survey highlights can be viewed in a recently posted YouTube video.

With over $15 billion appropriated for states to remove and replace 100% of lead service lines, the inability to properly identify and inventory lead pipes has hampered many cities and water utilities ability to properly plan for required capital expenditures.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) the number of lead pipes carrying water to homes in all 50 states ranges from 9.7 million to 12.8 million, yet most states do not track this public health threat.

Two (2) states (California and Indiana) provide information about “partial” lead pipes (i.e. pipes that were made from lead with connections to other materials, like copper, plastic, or steel). States and water utilities have not tracked such partial lead service lines may indicate that million more lead pipes may remain in the ground uncounted.

In the meantime, understatement of the quantity and locations of lead pipe is widespread. For instance, in 2016 it was estimated that Washington, D.C. had 8,900 lead pipes; however, an updated count in 2021 estimated more than triple that number, at 31,974.

The development of SWORDFISH is an American success story.

Electro Scan's Founder and CEO had been spearheading the use of electrical resistance to overcome major flaws in traditional acoustic based sensors that listened for leaks inside of pipes and high-resolution television cameras that attempted to visually detect leaks at cracks and joints.

Holder of seventeen (17) international patents in pipe condition assessment, Hansen started noticing odd readings at joints in asbestos cement (AC) pipes later linked to melted lead that had been used to make AC pipe watertight.

Often located in water mains and pipes measuring from 6 inches in diameter to 24 inches or more, Hansen realized he needed to probes capable of entering pipe diameters as small as one-half inch diameter and able to navigate multiple 90-degree bends.

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a complete ban on all asbestos-containing products in 1979, the installation of AC pipe continued in North America through the early 1980s.

“This win is an indication that our expert judges consider Electro Scan’s SWORDFISH machine-intelligent lead detection solution a top example of the exemplary work being done today in the fields of energy and environmental management,” says Sarah Roberts, Environment + Energy Leader publisher.

In recent years, desktop software, geographic information systems (GIS), and predictive analytic tools were hoped to reliably predict locations of lead pipe.

But, the consistent removal of perfectly good copper and plastic pipes, mistakenly thought to be lead pipe, in addition to incomplete or inaccurate field records has complicated inventory and replacement programs resulting in many cities to dig-up or expose buried lead pipe to perform legacy magnet or scratch testing.

"We're excited to offer such an innovative solution to safeguard the health of the American public," stated Mike App, Executive Vice President, Electro Scan Inc.

Asked how confident Electro Scan is in determining underground lead pipes using SWORDFISH, App replied, "Very confident."

Continued App, "Besides, not only is SWORDFISH Bluetooth-enabled to display real-time readings narrowcast to our company's companion mobile application, we also independently test our probe after each survey using 3M's Lead Test. Since Red Means LeadTM, we are certain when we find buried lead pipe."

SWORDFISH product specifications are available for download.


ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT + ENERGY LEADER AWARDS
For nearly a decade, the Environment + Energy Leader Awards have celebrated excellence in the world of environmental, sustainability and energy management. Award winners are truly buzz-worthy, and companies that sport a Top Project or Top Product of the Year Award badge are known to be the best of the best. When other companies are seeking a sustainability or energy management solution, they know that E+E Product of the Year Award winners offer a significant group of products, vetted by experts, to peruse for help in making their decisions. Project of the Year Award winners are known to illustrate how sustainability and energy management projects can successfully help other companies improve the bottom line.

ABOUT ELECTRO SCAN INC.
Electro Scan Inc. is a leading supplier of machine-intelligent pipeline assessment, location, and quality assurance products and services for the water, wastewater, and more recently petroleum markets. The company designs, develops, and markets its proprietary equipment, delivering field services and cloud-based applications that automatically locate, measure, and report leaks typically not found by legacy inspection methods. Follow Electro Scan Inc. on LinkedIn.

Janine Mullinix
Electro Scan Inc.
+1 916-779-0660
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SWORDFISH Navigates Multiple 90-Degree Bends