Sewer main condition assessment in the last frontier

摘要

The Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility owns, operates, and maintains a wastewater conveyance system with over 750 miles of pipeline including interceptors consisting of 15 different pipe materials. Here, we look at the utility's use of risk-based model assessment. The anchorage water and Waste-water Utility (AWWU) network consists of pipe ranging from 2 inch lateral pipe to 96 inch interceptors, comprised of 15 different pipe materials. AWWU currently has over 26 miles of sewer interceptors that have been installed periodically since 1917. The average age of the main interceptors is 33 years and diameters range from 24-96 inches (with most falling within the range of 42 to 72 inch range). Like many utilities across the country and around the world, AWWU is trying to become more proactive and less reactive in its maintenance of these critical assets. To be in a position to plan ahead, AWWU staff realised that they needed firsthand data on the condition of the sewer conveyance system.