Water Distribution Rehabilitation Technologies

Water distribution rehabilitation is an urgent infrastructure problem and will be on the agenda of utilities, local governments, and industries for many years. Based on national studies, a large gap exists between current expenditures on water main rehabilitation and the investment levels needed to sustain system integrity. Many aging pipe segments are candidates for renewal and must be updated through funding from capital improvement programs. Planning to prioritize the programs requires risk analysis and data systems to support the decision processes. Analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and American Water Works Association data shows that the national replacement cost of all water supply pipelines is on the order of $1 trillion. Recent estimates by EPA show that 20-year needs for replacement and rehabilitation of pipeline systems are about $201 billion, but, current investments indicate an increasing backlog of deferred investments and replacement cycles at close to 200 years in utilities. Resistance to rate increases and political reluctance to face the problem are causes of the buildup in deferred maintenance.

You will learn how utilities engage in sophisticated studies to allocate their scarce capital, and how large-scale manufacturing and construction industries compete for the business in the pipeline market. Topics will include new types of materials and assessment technologies, along with information technologies such as GIS drive innovation. Many business and legal issues arise in the fast-moving and competitive pipeline industry, and large stakes are involved in preventing failures and negative consequences of pipeline failures.