Performance evaluation of water distribution systems and asset management

Water distribution systems (WDS) are among the most critical civil infrastructure systems. A reliable and safe water supply is essential for the prosperity and continued well-being of society. Hence, adequate maintenance, repair, and renewal of the vast physical assets in WDS are of paramount importance, especially in places with widespread deterioration of critical water infrastructure assets. However, due to limited resources, water utilities struggle for their asset management strategies to keep pace with the aging of components. Recently, utilities have made efforts to refine the traditional condition-based approach to pipeline asset management that focuses on maintaining the current condition of assets into a service-based approach in which system performance is explicitly considered. This paper reviews existing literature on the various aspects of asset management of WDS, focusing specifically on buried pipelines. Existing condition assessment (CA) techniques, failure prediction models, time-dependent vulnerability models, maintenance planning strategies, and renewal techniques are reviewed. Various techniques of modeling WDS performance, as well as its interdependence with other infrastructure systems, are also reviewed. As such, the paper presents a broad overview of the various aspects that constitute a service-based asset management strategy for WDS. The advantages and limitations of different methods and approaches to the various aspects are also compared to assist selection of an appropriate tool. An overview of future research needs related to asset management and interdependence is presented.