Tactical Asset Management Plans for Linear Assets

Abstract

Most people give little consideration to the upkeep of a pipe network once it is put into place. After all, operation and maintenance should be regimented, straightforward and based on common sense. Do we really need a management plan for common sense? Well, the answer is yes. In fact, you need a good one. The durability and longevity of the piped assets, coupled with their “out-ofsight” nature, leads many to forget their importance until a rupture occurs or a road has to be closed. When pumps and motors are failing after only a few years and require constant service, it is easy to see how a pipe asset that measures service in decades can be overlooked. However, when Gwinnett County began looking at their pipes, we found that the operation and maintenance of these critical assets was not so easily defined nor were many of the assets as durable as we had originally thought. Gravity systems are not always self-cleaning, and pressurized pipes do not always work efficiently just because we tend to the pumps. The pipe networks in our system have a value equivalent to the vertical assets and though they should survive multiple replacements of those mechanical components, they cannot be overlooked either financially or operationally. Introduction By the end of 2008, Gwinnett County had a Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) for our gravity sewers. It laid out a high level view of what asset management is, gave the mission statement someplace to live, and put our vision out there for everyone to see. We had a working database of assets, a GIS system, workflow diagrams, and could talk confidently about the concepts of asset management. In 2011, the Operations Technical Services Group (OTS) was created and tasked with moving beyond the theoretical realm of “Asset management will help us operate and maintain our utility more efficiently” and into the very real world of “How will YOUR asset management program help MY field crews?” People were asking which pipes should be cleaned and how often. What is the cost/benefit ratio of the rehab for this asset? Which pipe materials are most likely to fail? How long should we expect the pipes to last in our system? How much should we budget for rehab and replacement next year and for the next twenty years? They were no longer interested in theories, and wanted actual answers based 1592 Pipelines 2014: From Underground to the Forefront of Innovation and Sustainability