Pipe breaks as key data for active asset management of pipeline inventories

摘要

Deteriorating water and wastewater assets in North America mean hundreds of billions of dollars would be needed to replace the system, with a large proportion of this relating to pipe replacement, a financial cost unmet by utilities. In order to better address these needs, there needs to be a repair and replacement strategy informed through network data, including pipe breaks. In this article, Frank Blaha outlines some of the work the Water Research Foundation has undertaken and is currently involved with, which aims to further the knowledge of pipe breaks, and how this data can be used to allow a utility to use its resources most effectively in the ongoing management of its water network.