Five Years and Counting: The Evolution of WSSC's PCCP Management Program

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is the 8th largest water and wastewater utility in the United States serving over 460,000 customer accounts including 1.8 million residents in Montgomery and Prince George's County Maryland (suburban Washington D.C.). Of the nearly 5,500 miles of water mains, approximately 145 miles are comprised of large Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) equal to or greater than 36-inches in diameter. These PCCP mains make up the backbone of WSSC's large diameter water transmission system therefore placing a high consequence of failure for these pipelines. A previous paper by the same authors highlighted the programmatic approach to WSSC's asset management strategies for its PCCP inventory. The paper discussed WSSC's comprehensive approach to their PCCP management that has made it an industry-leading program.