Understanding and maximising your wastewater assets to minimise pollution
Published: 7 August 2023
In June, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) urged Ofwat to enforce a more consistent approach to underground asset management and pipe replacement to boost replacement rates of ageing infrastructure.
It claimed that the current 0.4% annual asset replacement rate for water mains is too low. They also highlighted the need for water companies to have more up-to-date and consistent asset condition data.
Mike Williamson, Managing Director of our Water Services division, agrees with the NIC, but would encourage the water companies to go further with a similar plan for their wastewater network.
Understanding your underground network
Current data is based on failures and so is not indicative of future performance. You need to gain an understanding of all your underground infrastructure to allow you to predict where failures are most likely to happen and prioritise spending. Water companies can then build a picture of their wastewater asset health across their estate so they can develop an asset maintenance plan in line with their budgets.
A tailored planned preventive maintenance (PPM) programme will be based on your estate’s unique requirements and challenges and could include infrastructure mapping, environmental asset assessments, CCTV surveys, sonar tracing services, system monitoring and alarms, and smart sewers.
Data-led planned preventive maintenance
A balanced combination of quantitative and qualitative data that provides both practical and ‘big picture’ insights will allow you to understand your network, optimise your infrastructure and build a robust asset investment strategy.
Machine learning algorithms evaluate large data sets and identify patterns and anomalies, helping providers focus maintenance efforts and prevent pollution incidents.
Every estate is unique and requires a bespoke approach to asset management and maintenance. You need to map the available data against your network’s individual behaviour and conditions.
Data-driven PPM extends the life of aging assets and is your strongest defence against pollution, system failures, and regulatory non-compliance.
Don’t replace, reline
Replacement is costly, as it often means closing roads or pavements, and it can be very disruptive to public services, businesses, and private homes. Trenchless technology such as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining ensures minimal disruption to add up to 50 years onto the lifespan of ageing wastewater assets. CIPP solutions can save millions in costly and disruptive replacements, while reducing Ofwat litigation.
CIPP lining creates a new pipe inside the existing damaged pipe preventing further leaks or damage. There is no digging involved as the damaged section can be accessed from manholes, and the revolutionary technology can be fed through to the affected area.
Prevention is better than cure
Maintenance of the wastewater system is just as critical as the mains system to reduce the risk of pollution incidents and give you valuable extra capacity.
Understanding your network will help you to identify and manage problems before they occur – we estimate a planned repair saves 10 times the cost of a reactive one.
Adler and Allan helps water companies overcome some of the biggest challenges relating to their assets, from managing CSOs to keeping their water and sewage networks flowing, by delivering consultative asset management, helping them to understand their underground network, sewer and wastewater monitoring and management, and installing, maintaining, and remediating their drainage assets.
This ensures they can effectively manage their budget and asset cycles, while reducing risk to the environment, staying compliant, avoiding fines, operational downtime, and customer disruption, while operating at maximum efficiency and margin.
Find out more about our services for the water sector here.
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