Managing Assets

An effective program considers life-cycle costs, long-term funding, asset condition and criticality

"Necessity is the father of invention” means we will find a way to accomplish something when a need is presented. Given our economic state, the need to spend money on infrastructure wisely has never been greater.

In the sewer industry, this means we need to move from operating our systems to managing our assets. This became clear in NASSCO’s recent membership survey where respondents listed asset management as one of their top support needs. As a result, we are forming an Asset Management Committee.

Asset management is not a new concept, although it can take many years to establish an effective program. Whatever the approach, the goal is always to achieve a desired level of service at the lowest cost. The EPA provides training in the development of asset management programs, and the first of several core questions is: What is the current state of my system’s assets?

NASSCO’s Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) has been answering that question consistently for eight years. By adopting PACP, many utility managers have established a mechanism to provide consistent data that describes the state of assets very specifically. Whether the data was collected to assess pipe condition, to locate a lateral, or just to verify that the line was cleaned properly, PACP addresses the core question.

Manholes also need to be considered in an asset management program, and many utilities have also adopted our Manhole Assessment Certification Program (MACP).

Another question the EPA teaches us to ask is: “Which assets are critical to sustained performance?” PACP addresses this by providing a field in which to enter Sewer Category (Header Field 35). This one field provides the criticality rating of the line being surveyed or the consequence of failure. The importance of this field (it is not mandatory) is huge when considering where to start programming projects.

Consider two defects of condition grade five. The first is an 8-inch line that serves two properties and runs through an easily accessed easement. The second is a 36-inch interceptor that serves a hospital and 1,000 homes. Clearly, the latter has a much higher criticality rating and would get priority.

Assigning a criticality rating is a little more complicated and is more than a CCTV operator can be expected to provide. The Water Research Centre (WRc) Sewerage Rehabilitation Manual (SRM) provides procedures for identifying critical sewers. The procedures include using information about:

• Ground conditions. Bad ground conditions may include running sand, ground requiring extensive dewatering, or extensive stabilization.

• Traffic and road data. This includes traffic levels or unusual traffic control requirements, and special engineering difficulties.

• Other factors. These include average depth, size, material, and repair and replacement costs.

Finally, there needs to be a way to identify and categorize strategic sewers, such as those where failure would disrupt a hospital, sewers under rivers and railways, or sewers under buildings. A more complete description can be found in the SRM.

I am often asked: Now that I have PACP CCTV data, how do I use it to program projects into my asset management plan? Using the sewer categories along with the condition codes can certainly help.

However, to maximize performance while minimizing cost, you need an effective asset management program that identifies an acceptable level of service — and also addresses life-cycle costs and long-term funding along with condition and criticality.

Ted DeBoda is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org. NASSCO is located at 11521 Cronridge Drive, Suite J, Owings Mills, MD 21117.



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