Assessment and renewal of water distribution systems

Needs studies indicate that a large capital investment is required to renew an aging inventory of U.S. water distribution systems. However, the institutional structure of distribution system management does not encourage large investments for renewal. To overcome this obstacle, utilities must use effective tools and methods for asset management, which the author defines in this article as “an information‐based process used for life‐cycle facility management across organizations.” A framework is presented for condition assessment, which utilities can use to assess their responsibilities and options for distribution system capital management. The proposed framework includes four levels (system goals and criteria, condition indicators, integrated system parameters, and decisions relying on system parameters) and uses nine basic condition indicators: three for the capital side and six for operations. The article also includes a review of distribution system needs, a list of the main activities of asset management, a synthesis of prioritization and condition assessment techniques, and a review of renewal technologies, and examples of how leading utilities are handling assessment and renewal activities today.