Andrew Graham, Gregory J. Kirmeyer, Eric Wessels, Edward Tenny, Doug Harp; Scott McKinney, Chris Saill, Bud Templin, David Hughes, and John Fortin

OBJECTIVES:

The goals of this project were to assemble key organizations and experts to evaluate the available asset management information and identify future water and wastewater community needs that research could help solve. The report will summarize the asset management landscape, identify critical information gaps, develop research project ideas, and generate a strategic approach for the funding of research to fill the gaps.

BACKGROUND:

Many utilities are uncertain about asset management, have delayed or scaled down implementation efforts, and do not see a clear path for embarking on a comprehensive asset management program. There is currently no strategic industry focus for the planning and funding of future research efforts in the area of asset management for water and wastewater utilities. As such, AwwaRF recognized a need to gather the key utility subscribers and stakeholders together to help develop an asset management research needs roadmap with an emphasis on drinking water systems.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The project developed a comprehensive white paper that documented the current state of asset management among North American water and wastewater utilities. This white paper formed the basis for a workshop attended by 50 utilities, research organizations, academia, and government participants, resulting in identification of 12 key research related projects. The project developed 10 case studies and conducted four Asset Management Readiness Reviews that described the status of asset management in those utilities, confirming both the research needs and the status of asset management within those organizations. The final project deliverable consisted of a 5-year research roadmap for AwwaRF that identified projects, estimated costs, approaches, and an implementation plan.

APPROACH:

Conducted a literature review and developed a white paper on the status of asset management in North America.

Conducted a 1½ day facilitated workshop with 50 participants from various stakeholder groups to identify asset management needs and determine gaps in knowledge. The workshop resulted in identifying over 100 gaps and 23 preliminary research projects.

Developed case studies and asset management readiness reviews to confirm status in operating utilities.

Refined research needs into six research areas with input from the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) and AwwaRF staff.

Prepared a final project report detailing 12 asset management research projects including an implementation plan.

RESULTS/FINDINGS:

The Research Roadmap consists of project descriptions summarizing the goals of each project and important elements in the approach. Preliminary budgets and a timeline for conducting the research were also developed. Six research areas were identified as follows: (1) Asset Management Framework/Models for Organizations, (2) Risk Management, (3) Condition Assessment and Performance Monitoring, (4) Decision Making for Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) and Replacement and Renewal (R&R), (5) Asset Management Information Technology (IT) and Data Management, and (6) Operation and Maintenance Practices.

Within these six research areas, 12 projects were developed in more detail, project descriptions were refined, budget estimates were prepared, and potential partnering organizations were identified. The PAC prioritized these 12 projects and four were ranked highly and recommended for immediate consideration by the AwwaRF Research Advisory Council.

IMPACT:

This project will enable AwwaRF to better focus and leverage its utility subscriber's contributions in the area of asset management. The consolidated description of the state of water utility asset management contained in the white paper enables utility managers to have a single reference that brings the latest and most relevant information together in a comprehensive, easy to read document. The Research Roadmap will enable AwwaRF staff and the Board to select and fund a series of projects that will (1) improve the ability of utilities to manage their assets by having readily available guidance on service levels and metrics to measure their progress, (2) understand utilities' need for and use of data models to support asset management, and (3) document the best maintenance practices for water distribution assets. Finally, the case studies included in the report can provide ideas and documentation on costs and benefits of various asset management strategies that are in place today.

2008 Update

After months of research planning for AwwaRF's 2008 Solicited Research Program, about half of the high priority projects were funded. Four or five project ideas suggested by the Asset Management Research Roadmap were developed into the following projects and won funding for 2008.

“Organizational Models, Cultures, Policies and Strategies for Effective Water Utility AM Program Implementation”

“Condition Assessment of Water Main Appurtenances”

“Key Asset Data for Water Utilities”

“Participation in UKWIR's 'Failure Data and Analysis Methodology for Water Mains'”

Other highly ranked project ideas from the Asset Management Research Roadmap will be considered in the future after similar ongoing work is completed.

RESEARCH PARTNER:

USEPA

PARTICIPANTS:

Utilities and organizations from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia participated in the project and workshop.