Agencies are investing enormous resources into asset management programs for their water and wastewater piping systems, including comprehensive asset condition assessments and predictive maintenance programs, which lead to asset renewal prioritization and scheduling. Unfortunately, once assets are scheduled for renewal, the concepts of asset management are then largely ignored. Without a sustainable “holistic” approach of “cradle to grave” sustainable asset management integration and implementation, the true cost-savings of asset management cannot be achieved. Asset management principles particularly need to be applied to the actual renewal programs, but knowledge gaps in the industry are generally precluding such implementation. The WATERiD is intended to help to bridge this knowledge gap so that the true promise of asset management can be achieved. WATERiD will continuously improve through constant accumulation of industry knowledge. Data within WATERiD can be readily accessed and compiled into updates of existing Manuals of Practice, additional Manuals of Practice, and other decision support tools to compliment the proposed national database website developed by Virginia Tech.
The Database:
Condition assessment is the collection of data and information through direct and/or indirect methods, followed by analysis of the data and information to make a determination of the current and/or future structural, water quality, and hydraulic condition of the pipeline. Once the current condition of the pipeline is known funds can be better allocated to the assets which need urgent attention. System Renewal includes a wide range of repair, rehabilitation, and replacement techniques that bring the pipeline system at acceptable levels of performance within budgets. Various commercially available products present the current state of the art in pipe repair, rehabilitation and replacement. The decision-making process for the proper balance of repair, rehabilitation and replacement is a function of the condition assessment of the pipe, the life-cycle cost of the various repair/rehabilitation/replacement options, and the related risk reductions.
At present, the utility managers and decision makers are struggling with easy access to the comprehensive information about the technologies and experiences of other utilities in dealing with different situations. The information about the condition assessment, renewal engineering, and buried pipe location technologies, best practices, experience with technologies (Positive and Negative), cost of technology, cost models, list of vendors, contractors and case studies etc. that can be used as the knowledge by the various utilities is available but is generally not shared and is not readily available outside of WATERiD . WATERiD focuses on transfer of performance and cost information of condition assessment, renewal engineering, and buried pipe location technologies for water and waste water pipes. WATERiD includes primary information about individual renewal technologies' cost and performance, case studies for their real world applications, and the list of vendors, consultants and contractors available for a particular technology on a regional basis WATERiD ensures a single point information center for the utilities where they can find all the relevant information that will help in expediting the decision making process for the selection of appropriate condition assessment and buried pipe location technologies.
