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 Condition Assessment

 
Water Main Break

Encompasses the collection of data and information through direct inspection, observation and investigation, in-direct monitoring and reporting, and the analysis of the data and information to make a determination of the structural, operational, and performance status of capital infrastructure assets. Condition assessment also includes the practice of failure analysis which seeks to determine the causes of infrastructure failures in order to prevent future failures. Research issues in this area relate to the collection of reliable data and information and the ability of utilities to make technically sound judgments as to the condition of their assets.

Research Questions

  1. Can emerging and innovative inspection technologies, for both sewer and non-sewer assets, including force mains and service laterals, be identified and demonstrated in field settings to improve our understanding of their cost-effectiveness, technical performance, and reliability?
  2. Can advances in remote monitoring and wireless technologies be applied to develop in system and in-pipe sensor systems, include real-time data collection, reporting and assessment, to reduce confined-space entry requirements for sewer system inspection and investigation?
  3. Can correlations be established between the assessed condition and measures of the performance, operation, or internal environment of sewers and non-sewer assets which could lead to the use of innovative indicators to determine and track the condition of assets over time?
  4. Can standard technical guidelines, uniform data requirements and indicators be developed for condition assessment of sewers and non-sewer assets, include manholes, service laterals, and pipe joints?
  5. Can technical guidance be developed for establishing an overall wastewater infrastructure inspection program, including inspection prioritization, inspection frequency, inspection type (physical versus visual, maintenance versus structural), inspection by asset type, and inspection cost-effectiveness?
  6. Can cost-effective and reliable methods for the identification and assessment of the impact of deteriorating collection systems on urban water budgets be developed?
  7. Can the dynamics of wastewater collection systems infrastructure failure be better understood, diagnosed, and learned from to model and forecast the remaining life of assets, prioritize the investigation of asset failures of high consequence, and conduct reliable infrastructure failure risk assessments in support of comprehensive asset management?

Outputs from Research Activities

  • Reports on effects of factors such as climate change, population growth, and urban expansion on future demands and threats to water infrastructure
  • State-of-the-technology reports on condition assessment of drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems
  • Demonstrations of innovative condition assessment technologies and approaches
  • Development of controlled-condition testing center for drinking water and wastewater pipes
  • Verification reports of technologies for the assessment and rehabilitation of drinking water distribution systems and wastewater collection systems
  • National assessment reports on the effects of climate conditions on water infrastructure
  • Data and synthesis reports on water reuse
  • New and improved sensor-based pipe leak detection technologies
  • Publicly available Sanitary Sewer Overflow Analysis (SSOAP) toolbox
  • Cooperative agreements
  • EPA sponsored workshops
  • Journal articles

Research Projects

Influence of Disinfectant Residual and Biofilm Development, Microbial Ecology, and Pathogen Fate and Transport in Drinking Water Infrastructure (PDF) (2pp, 425 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-10/012
Innovative and Research for Water Infrastructure for 21st Century (PDF) (2pp, 476 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/028
Condition Assessment for Drinking Water Transmission and Distribution Main (PDF) (2 pp, 216 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/030
Condition Assessment of Waste Water Collection Systems (PDF) (2 pp, 239 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/041
Field Verification of New and Innovative Technologies for the Assessment and Rehabilitation of Drinking Water Distribution Systems and Wastewater Collection Systems (PDF0(2 pp, 185 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/034
Condition Assessment of Drinking Water Systems (PDF) (2 pp, 189 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/031
Condition Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems Using SSOAP Toolbox (PDF) (2 pp, 242 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/042
Demonstration of Green/Gray Infrastructure for CSO Control (PDF) (2 pp, 184 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/039
Controlled-Condition Research on Wastewater Collection and Drinking Water Distribution Systems (PDF) (2 pp, 362 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/029
Pipe Leak Detection Technology Development (PDF) (2 pp, 190 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/019
Technical Support to the Drinking Water Distribution System Simulator Research Center - Biofilm Test Loop Research Project (PDF) (2 pp, 187 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/010
Molecular Survey of Microbial Communities involved in Concrete Corrosion in Wastewater Sewers (PDF) (2 pp, 546 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/012
Analysis of Distribution System and Domestic Service Line Pipe Deposits to Understand Water Treatment and Metal Release Relationship (PDF) (2 pp, 326 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/014
Impact of Water Chemistry on the Localized Corrosion of Copper Pitting (PDF) (2 pp, 304 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/013
In-House Copper and Lead Solubility and Corrosion Studies (PDF) (2 pp, 640 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/011
Multi-Scale Infrastructure Assessment (PDF) (2 pp, 200 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/017
Water Reuse and Soil Column Studies (PDF) (2 pp, 148 KB, About PDF) EPA No. 600/F-09/018

 

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