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State of Technology for Rehabilitation of Water Distribution Systems
Citation:
Selvakumar, A. State of Technology for Rehabilitation of Water Distribution Systems. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
This report contains a comprehensive review and evaluation of existing and emerging renewal technologies for water distribution system mains and services. This report covers technologies used for the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of water mains and water service lines. The research team identified several renewal technologies that are in the early stages of adoption within the U.S. water distribution rehabilitation industry and are considered to be appropriate targets for inclusion in a demonstration program. In addition, there is a need to track how rehabilitation systems are performing in terms of structural deterioration and functionality and hence to assess the expected service life of the rehabilitated structure. The primary objectives of the report are: • To review current and emerging rehabilitation technologies for water distribution system mains and services. • To understand the needs of water utilities for renewal of their infrastructure and to identify technology gaps that should be addressed in order to meet these needs. • To identify key performance parameters for various rehabilitation technologies and to gather and document this information for rehabilitation technologies that are available for use in the market.
Description:
The impact that the lack of investment in water infrastructure will have on the performance of aging underground infrastructure over time is well documented and the needed funding estimates range as high as $325 billion over the next 20 years. With the current annual replacement rate averaging 0.5%, pipes would be expected to last for 200 years, but most pipes are designed for 50 or 100 year life cycles. While this replacement rate may be sufficient in the immediate term because pipes are still relatively young, as systems grow older, the necessary replacement rates will inevitably increase. In addition to the necessary funding, congestion above and below ground is making the replacement of water mains more difficult for utility owners as is the lack of public tolerance for the disruption caused by construction work. There is an increasing availability of technologies for rehabilitation of existing pipes, which provides solutions that minimize or alleviate these problems, while providing realistic and potentially cost-effective alternatives to traditional open cut replacement. The primary objectives of the report are: • To review current and emerging rehabilitation technologies for water distribution mains and services. • To understand the needs of water utilities for renewal of their infrastructure and to identify technology gaps that should be addressed in order to meet these needs. • To identify key performance parameters for various rehabilitation technologies and to gather and document this information for rehabilitation technologies that are available for use in the market.