AI speeds stormwater pipe inspections for US cities

AI is helping cities clear inspection backlogs, sharpen repair priorities, and act faster as heavier storms test aging systems

21 Jan 2026

Stormwater systems are getting older just as storms grow harsher. For many cities, the biggest problem is not finding damaged pipes. It is making sense of the mountains of video needed to decide what to fix first.

That pressure is turning artificial intelligence from a nice add on into a practical tool. In Richmond, California, city leaders recently approved a contract with SewerAI to support inspection and data management for stormwater and wastewater pipes. The goal is to bring order to years of scattered inspection footage across systems often managed side by side.

The bottleneck is familiar to utility managers. Cameras can move quickly through miles of pipe. Reviewing the footage does not. Trained staff must watch videos, spot defects, and log findings with care. With lean teams and tight budgets, this step can stretch into weeks and delay repairs that matter.

AI promises to ease that logjam. Software can flag likely defects, apply consistent labels, and cut review time. That consistency matters because inspection results drive expensive decisions, from lining pipes to replacing segments or changing cleaning cycles to lower flood risk.

The momentum goes beyond a single city. SewerAI raised $15 million in a Series B round in mid 2024 and continued to expand its cloud based assessment tools through 2025. Since many agencies oversee wastewater and stormwater together, these gains spill over into stormwater performance.

Analysts describe the shift as a push for speed and confidence. Utilities need to move from inspection to action before the next heavy rain, not long after the damage is done.

Obstacles remain. Many agencies sit on decades of video in mixed formats, often missing key details. Human oversight is still critical, since AI is meant to support judgment, not replace it. Federal infrastructure reports also point to gaps in condition data across water systems, which helps explain the growing interest in smarter inspection tools.

For stormwater professionals, this is more than a tech upgrade. It is a change in how work gets done. Cities that modernize inspection data now may be better prepared to clear backlogs, defend funding choices, and respond faster when the storms roll in. AI will not stop extreme weather, but it can help systems keep up.