You are here:
Gaps of Decision Support Models for Pipeline Renewal and Recommendations for Improvement
Citation:
Matthews, J. C., A. SELVAKUMAR, W. Condit, AND R. Sterling. Gaps of Decision Support Models for Pipeline Renewal and Recommendations for Improvement. Presented at ASCE, 2011 International Conference on Pipelines and Trenchless Technology (ICPTT), Beijing, CHINA, October 26 - 29, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
In terms of the development of software for decision support for pipeline renewal, more attention to date has been paid to the development of asset management models that help an owner decide on which portions of a system to prioritize needed actions. There has been much less work in terms of providing guidance on whether to rehabilitate or replace the pipeline asset and choosing the most appropriate method(s) for that work. Such decisions involve the evaluation of many criteria and parameters. These criteria must be evaluated thoroughly to determine the best way of rehabilitating or replacing these systems effectively and cost efficiently. As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Aging Water Infrastructure Research Program, one key area of research being pursued, in collaboration with wastewater and water utilities, is a study of the current approaches available for making rehabilitation versus replacement decisions. The purpose of this study is to: (1) identify the current methodologies and decision support models being used for determining how to rehabilitate or replace underground utilities; (2) identify the critical gaps of these current models through comparison with case history data collected from utilities; and, (3) assess the feasibility of substantially improving upon existing approaches. This paper will identify the decision support models and methodologies that have been proposed for use in the United States for method selection and discuss the improvements that are required in existing models to make them more directly useful in decision support. A summary of the findings from case study visits to water and wastewater utilities in terms of how cities actually make these decisions will be provided. The water and wastewater utilities that were visited and surveyed include those located in: Atlanta, GA; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami-Dade County, FL; and, New York City, NY. The conclusions will focus on the next steps needed to improve current method selection support software.