Compendium of Best Practices in Asset Management

The increased scientific knowledge of the management of water infrastructure, is forcing the application of radical and innovative techniques, that goes beyond seen pipes, tanks and pumps as infrastructure in the ground, but as assets which have an operational life and effective and efficient use of these component impacts on our ability as water providers and utilities to continue to provide high quality, high assurance water and sanitation services at reliably and affordably. They are now being seen as the lifeblood of the community, since they protect public health and they insure that local economies and national economies continue to run.

Mounting evidence internationally suggests that the integrity of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure is at risk without a concerted effort to improve the management of key assets—pipelines, treatment plants, and other facilities - and a significant investment in maintaining, rehabilitating, and replacing these assets. 

The application of asset management principles in the global water industry is of particular interest at the present time due to pressures from governments, regulators, shareholders and consumer groups in many countries to provide cost-effective and sustainable water services at least cost to customers and the environment. Recognising that the application of good science and innovation was on a rapid incline, it was deemed necessary to capture these novel and creative applications, techniques and process which were contributing to this new area of importance.

This GWRC Compendium of Best Practices in Asset Management demonstrates the advancements and progress being made in applying innovative and novel techniques and processes in the management of water and sanitation infrastructure. The cases highlight examples in different countries on strategic initiatives at the highest level, through the development of the policy and legislation towards ensuring that asset management becomes a legal requirement for all water services providers;  innovation techniques for infrastructure risk assessment; decision- making techniques for capital investments; studies on the implementation of Asset management in utility practice, the use of GIS and IT technology, and the various little techniques of meter replacement, pressure management, continuous leak detection and rehabilitation of infrastructure.

Overview of water and wastewater infrastructure Asset Management; Historical Background; Asset Management Definition; Concepts used in Infrastructure Asset Management; Some guiding principles for IAM (sourced from Department of Water affairs south Africa, integrated asset management strategy); Asset Management around the Water World; Challenges and future needs; Global cooperation on Strategic Asset Management; Contributions from KWR – Netherlands; Meter-replacement optimisation at Duinwaterbedrijf Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands; Distribution network design at PWN Water Company North-Holland; Contributions from Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) – USA; Programme sustainability – A case study City of Hamilton, Canada; Application of practice of understanding the condition of buried assets – City of Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Department of Watershed Management); Application of practice of setting the required level of service - City of Columbus Water Works (CWW), GA; Application of reliability centred maintenance at their Deer Island advanced wastewater treatment plant as a best practice O&M strategy - Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), MASS; Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) takes aim at critical assets using risk-based decision-making and strategic asset management plans - City of Seattle (Washington State); Contributions from Water Research Foundation; Decision-making for capital investments - Seattle public utilities case study: Introduction; Continuous leak detection to monitor condition of water distribution pipes - American Water case study; Use of electronic mobile and field solutions by Las Vegas Valley Water District - Las Vegas Valley Water District; The use of GIS to support EPCOR’s business processes - EPCOR Water Services; Main replacement and rehabilitation program – Louisville Water Company; Contributions from UKWIR; Effective risk modelling of water infrastructure assets in the United Kingdom; Anglian Water’s strategic investment approach - A case study on its initial application to wastewater infrastructure; System planning and the asset management process adopted within Northumbrian Water Limited; A case study on water mains rehabilitation planning and implementation, United Utilities, UK; Change and asset management in Thames Water: building the (im)perfect beast; Capital maintenance Good practice guide Leading Edge Asset Decisions Assessment (LEADA) - Yorkshire Water; Contributions from PUB, Singapore; ‘Active, Beautiful, Clean’ (ABC) Waters Programme for Singapore’s sustainable assets management; Contributions from South Africa; European Union/DPLG Pilot Project Asset Planning for Four Municipalities; Free State Province and South African national monitoring of water and wastewater quality and improvement of asset management; Johannesburg Water and its "Operation Gcin'amanzi" service upgrading, asset management and demand management programme; DWAF National Water Services Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy; Sebokeng/Evaton water saving through pressure management; Rand Water major pipeline asset management; Rustenburg public-private partnership for upgrading, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater treatment infrastructure; Western Cape Provincial Government collaborative programme. - Asset management planning support for local municipalities.