Using a Combination of Condition Based Asset Management Techniques to Manage a Water Transmission System

El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) operates over 2,200 miles (3,541 kms) of water transmission mains. One of EPWU's primary goals is water conservation. Consequently, it has implemented a water management strategy that emphasizes conservation, increased use of Rio Grande water, increased use of reclaimed water, desalination and condition based asset management. As the pipe within EPWU's water transmission system vary by size, material construction type, date of installation, operating performance and ease of access, no single condition assessment technique can be used to establish the integrity of each pipe in its entire system. As a result, EPWU has implemented a multi-faceted condition assessment program. It has used the Remote Field Eddy Current / Transformer Coupling (RFEC/TC) technique to establish the baseline condition of some of its Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP). It has used Acoustic Emission Testing (AET) to determine the level of active distress in other PCCP pipe. Further, it has used the Sahara water transmission main leak location system to validate the integrity of other pipeline assets. EPWU is one of the first utilities to implement such a comprehensive condition based asset management program. This paper describes its experience and details how EPWU is using the information gleaned from this program to re-establish the integrity of its pipelines, prioritize its capital expenditures and selectively rehabilitate individual pipe.