Scottish Water has a 25-year strategic plan for renewing infrastructure to provide high-quality water services that benefit people and the planet. Aging infrastructure is one of the utility’s primary challenges, with many pipelines built over 50 years ago and some well over 100 years old.

The Water Authority was one of the first agencies to take a proactive PCCP management approach. They began an aggressive condition assessment program in 1992. This early program relied primarily on internal visual and sounding inspections.

According to Utilitalia, 38 percent of water is lost on average from the country’s distribution networks. By reducing these losses, the country’s utilities can achieve a more sustainable water supply, lower energy demand, and better financial stewardship.

By implementing a proactive management program, utilities can virtually eliminate the risk of failure within their PCCP inventory. Even utilities that have not experienced a large-diameter PCCP failure, can realize significant capital program savings by managing these assets in place of replacement.

While evaluating wire breaks are an important part of PCCP management, it is important to acknowledge additional factors beyond wire breaks. By acknowledging additional condition factors, limitations of wire break assessment, and considering other rehabilitation approaches, there may be a more sustainable PCCP management approach.

Fortum’s core business in Poland is high-efficiency combined heat and power production and heat distribution. The company aims to develop sustainable solutions for cleaner cities, meeting the needs of local communities.

Over approximately five years, Aurora Water observed a notable increase in water main breaks. With limited resources to renew aging infrastructure, the utility’s pipeline replacement program was struggling to keep pace.

In 2020, real water loss in the town’s network peaked at 27 percent. Leaks were undermining the town’s critical water conservation efforts. Recognizing the urgency of the issue, the town is deploying innovative solutions to combat water loss and ensure a sustainable water supply.

Developed in partnership with the American Water Works Association, this guide explores how utilities can adopt data-driven pipeline management strategies and features real-world utility success stories.

Scottish Water partnered with WRc and Xylem to inspect the Blairlinnans water main using SmartBall® acoustic leak detection platform and PipeDiver™ electromagnetic condition assessment technology in combination with detailed engineering analysis.

To ensure safe and reliable water service for its customers, EPCOR partnered with Pure Technologies, a Xylem brand to complete a high-resolution condition assessment. The team inspected a 9.4-kilometer (5.8-mi) section of the critical Northside Pipeline for leaks and pipe wall deterioration.

The most effective strategy to safely manage a force main inventory is to implement a risk based approach for any data collection, inspection, condition assessment, and management techniques. Using asset risk to guide the management strategies, an owner/operator can ensure they are implementing the right approach, at the right time, with the lowest financial impact.

Since the most recent failure in 2012, Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System (LHPWSS) has adopted a proactive asset management plan that incorporates condition assessment and continuous monitoring data. Using this approach, LHPWSS has avoided failures, minimized disruptions, improved maintenance and capital planning, and achieved significant cost savings for reinvestment in this regionally significant infrastructure.

In the U.S., mines operate under strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations; as such, pipelines must be carefully monitored and maintained.