This article sets out a framework for developing LoS, including descriptions of elements, definitions of terms, and the where and why to employ different types of metrics.Stages of asset management centered on developing and supporting LoS are ranked in a maturity scale; the stages help water utilities assess their current levels and next steps.
The water utility industry is facing significant challenges in these uncertain times. Many of these business drivers ( Figure 1) have been around for some time but many are new or emerging and now threaten business as usual and even the viability of utilities. Many water and wastewater utilities have started asset management (AM) programs to answer these challenges.
Using desktop scoring to determine the likelihood of failure of water pipes should be phased out and replaced with advanced analytics, particularly machine learning.More accurate break predictions will lead to better estimates of how much to spend on pipe replacement and which pipes to replace.Utilities should integrate information about abandoned pipes and breaks into failure forecasting, including machine learning models.Some data issues can be cost-efficiently rectified using machine learning and automated algorithms.
Infrequent high peak flow events during wet weather can overload wastewater treatment plants. Municipal agencies have often protected their secondary treatment process from washout by bypassing a portion of the influent flow around the process and blending secondary effluent with less treated wastewater (usually primary effluent). In an attempt to rationalize this type of occurrence, EPA proposed a draft Blending Policy in November 2003, which provided conditions under which the blending practice would be allowed. Faced with many negative public comments and resultant opposition in Congress, EPA withdrew the policy in May, 2005. In the absence of the blending policy rule, some municipalities may face future regulatory actions that cause them to eliminate the blending practice and provide for "full" secondary treatment even at peak flows. Wastewater treatment plant expansions to handle these wet weather flow events are typically very expensive, especially given that they are only needed a very small percentage of the time. The Biological Contact process is a novel, cost-effective wet weather treatment technology addressing suspended solids and BOD 5 removal by bioflocculation during wet weather, high flow events. Often, it can be implemented in existing wastewater treatment facilities with the fewest modifications to the current plant configuration. And unlike physical/chemical treatment alternatives, it can achieve secondary treatment requirements for both BOD 5 and SS.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.