Many of the USA’s water infrastructures are aging and are approaching the end of their 50-76 life spans.
Aging pipelines cause frequent water breaks. According to the EPA, there are 240,000 water main breaks annually in the US, costing billions of dollars in water treatment, energy wasted, and use of chemicals.
The Utah State University study, “Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada, ” estimates six billion gallons of treated water go to waste daily.
Climate change effects, natural disasters, and lead leaching from pipes further compound the problem of aging infrastructure.
President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) allocates $55 billion to address the country’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure problems.
Adding to the 12,000 miles of aging pipelines replaceable by 2020, the US faces supply chain disruptions, like other countries.
Because these water utilities are due for critical maintenance and replacements, delays in the procurement of vital parts, materials, and equipment place the water infrastructure in a precarious situation that can also affect adequate service levels.
The American Water Works Association’s “COVID Water Sector Impact Survey 5 (Oct 2021)” shows that 72% of water utilities find it challenging to procure pipes and other infrastructure parts such as electronic equipment, chemicals, computer chips for water trucks and other crucial everyday supplies.
Asset management solutions for water and wastewater facility managers
Wate and Waste Digest (WWD) explains how asset management software can help asset managers address the US aging infrastructure problems, compounded by climate change, population growth, lack of funding, and, more recently, supply chain disruptions.
According to WWD, asset management software can “help water utilities proactively anticipate and prioritize risks, costs, and service levels amid aging infrastructure issues and supply chain bottlenecks. It is the most forward-looking, predictive analytics solution to help assess and address the impact of long-term issues, such as delayed supply chains. Asset Investment Planning (AIP) solutions are designed for contingencies, analyzing eventual risks, uncertainties, and constraints.”
WWD explains further:
“They help utilities balance supplies, resources, levels of service, costs and associated risks as the assets evolve in their life cycle and probable contingencies. AIP helps utilities direct their investments sustainably and strategically by leveraging asset life cycle simulations and assessing a range of possible outcomes.”
What used to take three to six months in repairs can extend to a few years due to low stock caused by delays in shipping. Decision-makers will need to consider this new reality make and adjust timeframes for repairs, maintenance and replacements.
Asset management software such as the AIP look at data trends and identify and plan for how long these assets will last. Simulations can include risks like climate change cost increases and breakages to help water utilities anticipate and prepare for unexpected events like supply chain disruptions and repairs ahead of time.
Additionally, adopting a “what-if” scenario analysis allows utilities to anticipate unexpected situations, reduce their impacts, and plan for contingencies that will enable them to continue operating and provide adequate service levels.
Unforeseen situations pose a continuing challenge to water utilities and other infrastructures, making it vital for asset owners and managers to adopt new solutions to assist long-term infrastructure planning and investment decisions.
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