Pipe Performance Scorecarding: An Essential Framework for Sustainability

Since the mid-19th century, water supply has largely been a matter of transportation. Water distribution and transmission pipe infrastructure is a critical underpinning of the developed world’s health, safety, and economy. Hence, scoring the performance of these subterranean pipe assets is an essential element for achieving greater sustainability. Recognition that different pipe materials/products deteriorate at different rates and for different reasons is essential to making informed decisions that optimize water infrastructure performance and longevity. Understanding how different pipes perform requires tracking and measurement over time. This paper focuses on the importance of keeping score, that is, analytically documenting pipe performance to gain an understanding of how and why their performance is compromised. Scorecard information is relevant, factual, and unbiased. Examples of how pipe performance data has been used to predict and improve durability are discussed. Performance curves for several pipe products commonly used for water transmission and distribution are reviewed. Scorecards can also invaluably help utilities define, monitor, and communicate progress toward strategic objectives. Scorecards help reduce subjectivity, increase accountability, and improve strategy execution. Scorecards enable utilities to integrate key pipe performance metrics into planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes, while creating reliable institutional knowledge of their water distribution systems.