It is important to become aware of these and take them into account when planning your own strategy. It is likely that other nearby entities are involved in, or at least considering, projects related to water. What are the attributes that need to be examined to tackle your aging infrastructure?"ģ. "Be brutally honest in determining whether you can do it on your own or whether you need some outside help. "Once you realize your gaps, do a ‘look in the mirror,'" said Egger. It's important to identify what condition your system is in at this point. For example, pressures may have been higher in the past and the city might have been built around them. "These systems have been in place for many years and have been under different levels of service," said Egger. Ask yourself: Is there a gap in terms of how we are handling our data? Do we have adequate records? Are they paper or electronic? Do we have an effective GIS program? Then, it's important to understand the gap in terms of the condition of what you currently have. "No matter what performance indicators you select, you need to start out with a gap analysis," said Egger. The most important question to ask here is: What level of service, in terms of performance indicators, are we envisioning for our customers in the future? Examples include leakage rates, minimum pressures, water quality, service interruption, etc.Ģ. "It is important to get the governing body, whether that be a board or a city council, aligned and committed to a specific level of service." "However, projects need alignment and support all the way to the top," he said. In many instances, various parts of an organization, such as the engineering or operations departments, may attempt to make improvements and tackle this enormous problem on their own. According to Egger, the first step is to create alignment. With that goal in mind, there are a number of steps that jurisdictions can and should consider before undertaking certain water infrastructure improvement projects.ġ. ( "Part of it is aimed at setting priorities for water infrastructure strategies." "We talk to our clients frequently and provide published information to the industry on what we are hearing," said David Egger, managing director, Infrastructure Systems & Programs, Water Division, with Black & Veatch Corp. When it comes to upgrading existing water infrastructure, thoughtful, comprehensive and systematic planning makes more sense than launching projects arbitrarily. In fact, upgrading water infrastructure is becoming an urgent priority in many communities. It's not likely anyone would deny that water infrastructure is deteriorating and in need of repair and/or replacement. The report also noted that, since 2007, "the federal government has required cities to invest more than $15 billion in new pipes, plants and equipment to eliminate combined sewer overflows." In its Wastewater report, ASCE said that "capital investment needs for the nation's wastewater and stormwater systems are estimated to total $298 billion over the next 20 years." Pipes represent three quarters of that total. "The challenge is that there are greater demands on the resource, that water often is not available at the location or the time that it is needed, and that, in some cases, the quality of the water is inadequate for the desired use." "The amount of water on Earth is the same now as it has been," he said. But additional water supplies are needed to make up for the treated water lost from the distribution system. Of course, the water is not completely ‘lost,' he pointed out, as it eventually returns to the environment. Jerad Bales, chief scientist for water with the U.S. "As much as 2 trillion gallons of treated water are lost per year," said Dr. Assuming every pipe would need to be replaced, the cost over the coming decades could reach more than $1 trillion, according to the American Water Works Association." There are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the United States. In its Drinking Water report, ASCE noted that "much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. In its 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave a "D" (D-, D and D+) to most types of infrastructure, including dams, drinking water, hazardous waste, levees, wastewater, aviation, inland waterways, roads, transit, schools, and energy. When it comes to the state of our nation's infrastructure, at least one organization gives most of it failing grades. Note the footbridge on the left constructed of big pipe tunnel segments. A green street planter surrounding Alameda Island in northeast Portland.
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