Water Main Breaks: Risk Assessment and Investment Strategies
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 4, Issue 4
Abstract
Replacement to sustain the integrity of water mains in the United States is on a cycle of approximately once in 200 years, a slow rate that contributes to the current grade of D- on the Infrastructure Report Card. The main indicator of physical integrity is frequency of water main breaks, but reducing these is difficult because of the complexity and scale of the problem and the lack of incentives for pipeline replacement. This paper draws from current research to explain the risk formulation of the decision process for pipeline replacement, the current rates of renewal, and the reasons why utilities renew pipes at low rates. Recommended solutions in the face of a financial crisis focus on analysis and management tools, data systems, standardized reporting, incentive structures, modest rate increases, and voluntary industry reforms. Improving integrity of water distribution systems and reducing main breaks are important to the long-term viability of public water systems, the costs to future generations, and to public health. Solutions will require enlightened and committed professional and political leadership, and optimized life-cycle asset management that includes maintenance, replacement, and realistic cost models and design lives.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The knowledge base for the paper is drawn mainly from research published by the American Water Works Association and the Water Research Foundation (WaterRF). Frank Blaha, Senior Project Manager for the WaterRF has been especially helpful in developing research on distribution systems and main breaks.
References
American Water Works Association (AWWA). (2001). “Dawn of the replacement era.” Washington, DC.
American Water Works Association (AWWA). (2011). “Partnership for safe water distribution program.” 〈http://www.awwa.org/files/Partnership/Distribution/DSOverview.pdf〉 (Feb. 5, 2012).
American Water Works Association (AWWA). (2012a). “Buried no longer: Confronting America’s water infrastructure challenge.” 〈http://www.awwa.org/files/GovtPublicAffairs/GADocuments/BuriedNoLongerCompleteFinal.pdf〉 (Jun. 6, 2012).
American Water Works Association (AWWA). (2012b). “The case for a water infrastructure finance and innovation authority.” 〈http://www.awwa.org/Government/content.cfm?ItemNumber=58513&navItemNumber=58523〉 (Jun. 6, 2012).
American Water Works Association (AWWA). (2012c). “Water audits and loss control.” 〈http://www.awwa.org/Resources/WaterLossControl.cfm?ItemNumber=48055〉 (Feb. 5, 2012).
Andreou, S. A., Marks, D. H., and Clark, R. M. (1987). “A new methodology for modeling break failure patterns in deteriorating water distribution systems: Applications.” Adv. Water Resour., 10(1), 11–20.
ASCE. (2012). “America’s infrastructure report card.” 〈http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/〉 (Feb. 5, 2012).
CARE-W. (2011). “Introduction.” 〈http://www.sintef.no/Projectweb/CARE-W/News/〉 (Jan. 30, 2011).
Cima, J. (2008). Water data protocol document for the national sewer and water mains failure database, UK Water Industry Research (WIR), London.
Clark, R. M., Stafford, C. L., and Goodrich, J. A. (1982). “Water distribution systems: A spatial and cost evaluation.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage. Div., 108(3), 243–256.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). (2011). “PARMS-planning: Protecting our pipelines.” 〈http://www.csiro.au/solutions/PARMSPlanning.html〉 (Feb. 1, 2011).
Congressional Budget Office. (2002). “Future investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. November.” 〈http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/39xx/doc3983/11-18-WaterSystems.pdf〉 (Feb. 5, 2012).
Cromwell, J. E., III, Reynolds, H., Pearson, N., Jr., and Grant, M. (2002). Cost of infrastructure failure, AWWA Research Foundation: Distribution Systems, Denver.
Friedman, M., Kirmeyer, G., Lemieux, J., LeChevallier, M., Seidl, S., and Routt, J. (2010). Criteria for optimized distribution systems, Water Research Foundation, Denver.
Gaewski, P., and Blaha, F. (2007). “Analysis of total cost of large diameter pipe failures.” AWWA Distribution System Research Symp., American Water Works Association, Denver CO.
Grigg, N. (2004). Water distribution assessment and renewal, AwwaRF and AWWA, Denver.
Grigg, N. (2007). Main break prediction, prevention, and control, AWWA Research Foundation, Denver.
Grigg, N. (2009). Secondary impacts of corrosion control on distribution system and treatment plant equipment, Water Research Foundation, Denver.
Grigg, N., Fontane, D., and VanZyl, J. (2012). Integration of cost of failure with asset risk management, Water Research Foundation, Denver.
Kirmeyer, G. J., et al. (1994). “An assessment of water distribution systems and associated research needs.” Publication 90658, Water Research Foundation and American Water Works Association, Denver.
Kleiner, Y., and Rajani, B. (2010). Dynamic influences on the deterioration rates of individual water mains (I-WARP), Water Research Foundation, Denver.
Kleiner, Y., Sadiq, R., and Rajani, B. (2004). “Modeling failure risk in buried pipes using fuzzy Markov deterioration process.” ASCE Int. Conf. on Pipeline Engineering and Construction, ASCE, Reston VA.
Murphy, M. (2011). “State of the industry report 2011: Economic stagnation dampens industry outlook.” J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 103(10), 42–54.
National Research Council. (2006). “Drinking water distribution systems: Assessing and reducing risks.” Committee on Public Water Supply Distribution Systems, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Washington, DC.
National Research Council Canada. (2011). “D-WARP—Distribution water mains renewal planner.” 〈http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/projects/irc/renewal-planner.html〉 (Feb. 1, 2011).
O’Day, D. K., Weiss, R., Chiavari, S., and Blair, D. (1986). Water main evaluation for rehabilitation/replacement, AWWA Research Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency, Denver.
Ofwat. (2012). “RD 04/10: Regulatory capital values 2010-15.” 〈http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/publications/rdletters/ltr_rd0410rcv〉 (Feb. 5, 2012).
Oxenford, J., et al. (2012). “Key asset data for water sector utilities.” Water Research Foundation Rep., Water Research Foundation, Denver, CO.
Rogers, P. (2006). “Failure assessment model to prioritize pipe replacement in water utility asset management.” Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO.
Thornton, J., Sturm, R., and Kunkel, G. (2008). Water loss control, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
USEPA. (2007). “Innovation and research for water infrastructure for the 21st century: Research plan.” Office of Research and Development. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
USEPA. (2008). “Investing in a sustainable future: Drinking water state revolving fund 2007 annual report.”, Washington, DC.
USEPA. (2009a). “Community water systems survey (two volumes).”, Washington, DC.
USEPA. (2009b). “Drinking water infrastructure needs survey and assessment: Fourth report to Congress.”, Washington, DC.
USEPA. (2011). “Total coliform rule.” 〈http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/regulation.cfm〉 (Feb. 4, 2012).
Vanrenterghem, A. (2003). “Modeling the structural degradation of an urban water distribution system.” Ph.D. dissertation, Polytechnic Univ., Brooklyn, NY.
Walski, T., and Pelluccia, A. (1982). “Economic analysis of water main breaks.” J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 74(3), 140–147.
Water Research Foundation (formerly AwwarF), CH2M HILL, and AWWA. (2002). Capital planning strategy manual, AWWA Research Foundation, Denver.
Wolfe, T. F. (1946). “How to prevent breaks in cast-iron pipe.” J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 38(6), 765–771.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 14, 2012
Accepted: Feb 21, 2013
Published online: Feb 23, 2013
Published in print: Nov 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Jan 6, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.