Implementing Manhole Rehab Decisions With LiDAR and 360 Digital Twinning

Jesus Barron is the Lead Wastewater Collections System Worker III at Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD), where he helps oversee field operations, maintenance, emergency response, compliance, and infrastructure projects. With nearly two decades of municipal collections experience, Jesus has advanced data-driven manhole assessment and rehabilitation using LiDAR and 360-degree digital twin technology. He was named CWEA's 2024-2025 Collection System Person of the Year and also holds CWEA and NASSCO certifications.  Jon Borden is the President of RH Borden and Company, a Salt Lake City-based firm applying advanced sensor technology and data-driven solutions to modernize wastewater and sewer systems across the US. Under his leadership, RH Borden pioneered digital twin and condition-based maintenance strategies, enabling cities to streamline maintenance and deliver the nation's largest inflow and infiltration study in New York with more than 400 sensors deployed. With a background in Fortune 100 IT program management, Jon brings proven digital transformation expertise to aging infrastructure. In this episode… Wastewater infrastructure is often out of sight, but it cannot afford to be out of mind. When manholes are deteriorating underground, agencies need better ways to know which assets truly need attention and which can wait. How can utilities move from educated guesses to confident, data-driven rehab decisions? Jesus Barron's answer is to replace tribal knowledge with measurable, repeatable assessment data. As a wastewater collections leader with nearly two decades of municipal collection system experience, Jesus explains how LiDAR scans, 360-degree imagery, and digital twins can help teams evaluate manhole wall condition, identify degradation, and prioritize repairs based on actual need. Jon Borden adds how digital twin models, point clouds, and VR tools can improve measurement accuracy, reduce confined-space risks, and help agencies communicate hidden infrastructure needs more clearly. Together, they emphasize starting with a small pilot, securing management and engineering buy-in, and using dashboards and baseline data to track degradation over time and focus limited budgets where they matter most. In this episode of Saving Our Sewers, Kwin Peterson features Jesus Barron, Lead Wastewater Collections System Worker III at Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, and Jon Borden, President of RH Borden, in a panel discussion about improving manhole rehab decisions using LiDAR and 360-degree digital twins. They discuss starting with a 20-manhole pilot, implementing color-coded scoring to prioritize rehab, and building a long-term baseline for smarter asset management.