City Develops Predictive Modeling for Water Main Breaks

Where and when water mains will fail has long been the million-dollar question for municipalities — often in the most literal sense. Difficult to predict and expensive when they do occur, preventive maintenance and proactive water main replacement programs are becoming necessity for municipalities. But that can frequently seem like an exercise in futility — or practice for the lottery. Often it’s a shot in the dark, success difficult to see even in an effective program. That is why many cities still fall back into a reactionary mindset, replacing mains and pipes as the break, constantly cleaning up messes instead of