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How Utilities Get Control of Their Distribution Systems
The document discusses challenges facing water utilities including aging infrastructure, reduced staffing, and deferred maintenance. It emphasizes the importance of valve operability for system control and reducing risks like water loss, injuries, and lawsuits. A "run to failure" asset management strategy is not sustainable and will lead to service disruptions. The document recommends taking inventory of assets, assessing conditions, prioritizing critical assets, and developing long-term operation, maintenance, and capital improvement strategies focused initially on large, critical valves to gain control of the system and set up future generations for success.
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How Utilities Get Control of Their Distribution Systems
- 1. By Katie McCain Wachs Water Services February 22, 2011
- 2. Agenda Industry Challenges Valve Operability High Risks/Costs of Taking No Action Asset Management Where To Start/Strategies Summary
- 3. Industry Challenges Aginginfrastructure Reductions in manpower Experience/knowledge loss Deferred maintenance Funding gaps Increasing customer demands Supply availability Infrastructure security
- 4. What Is ValveOperability? Definition of Operability Initial Operability: Upon arrival, can the valve be found and easily operated by the crew? Right Here, Right Now…
- 5. Valve Operability StatusQuo Based on 750,000 assessments
- 6. Low Operability = Lossof System Control (Increases Levels of Risk)
- 7. Run to Failure- Strategy 100% Reliability Threshold Pain Operability Run to Failure Time
- 8. Run To Failure (example) Buy a Buy a Buy a CAR CAR CAR Run to Failure Run to Failure Reliability Threshold $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
- 9. Default “Run toFailure” A.M. Strategy Is easy/requires no action/abdicates responsibility Is great for awhile but eventually causes service disruptions Service disruptions cause customer dissatisfaction Customer dissatisfaction causes reactive responses not planned activities Never get caught up/never get control of the system
- 11. High Risks/Costs ofTaking No Action Overtime and repeat visits Unnecessary replacements Property damage/restoration cost Delays in locating valves Loss of water Loss of life Injuries to workers and citizens Lawsuits from injured parties (medical and property) Continued catastrophic events
- 12. High Risks/ Costsof Taking No Action (cont.) Keeps your utility in a reactive mode, chasing emergencies, trying to keep up Low operability = loss of system control Water quality challenges Lack of fire protection Lack of ability to isolate contamination Major break containment issues Business interruption/transportation interruption Interruption of service/customer complaints The current situation is not sustainable
- 13. Asset Management Start byanswering five key questions
- 14. Five Key Questions 1.What is the current state of my assets? What do I own? Where is it? What condition is it in? What is its remaining useful life? What is its remaining economic value? 2. What is my required level of service (LOS)? What is the demand for my services by my stakeholders? What do regulators require? What is my actual performance? 3. Which assets are critical to sustained performance? How does it fail? How can it fail? What is the likelihood of failure? What does it cost to repair/refurbish/replace? What are the consequences of failure? 4. What are my best O&M and CIP investment strategies? What alternative management options exist? Which are most cost effective for my organization? 5. What is my best long-term funding strategy?
- 15. What is the required level What is the current state of my assets? of service? Determine Determine Inventory Assess Set Target Residual RRR $ Assets Condition LOS Life & Timing Assign Determine Determine Fund BRE Rating Appropriate Appropriate Build the AMP Your Strategy (Criticality) Maintenance CIP Which assets What are the best O&M What is the best are critical to and CIP strategies? funding strategy? sustain performance ?
- 16. Reliability Centered Maintenance (example) Buy a Oil Trans CAR Wipers Change Fluid Tune Up Air Pressure Flush Wiper Fluid Struts Battery Reliability Threshold 100% Sustainability Execution Time
- 17. Where to Start/Strategies • Total system assessment program approach • Large & Critical Valves core of the system • Representative survey state of the system • Specific areas section of the system
- 18. Summary The timefor action is now, before there is an emergency Look at your system and identify the most critical assets in it Start by inventorying and rehabilitating those assets A long-term approach to valve maintenance will set the utility up for future generations There are proven solutions Solutions fund themselves Start with valves
- 20. Katie McCain WachsWater Services 214-707-8120 kmccain@wachsws.com