State of Technology for Rehabilitation of Water Distribution Systems

The impact that the lack of investment in water infrastructure will have on the performance of aging underground infrastructure over time is well documented and the needed funding estimates range as high as $325 billion over the next 20 years. With the current annual replacement rate averaging 0.5%, pipes would be expected to last for 200 years, but most pipes are designed for 50 or 100 year life cycles. While this replacement rate may be sufficient in the immediate term because pipes are still relatively young, as systems grow older, the necessary replacement rates will inevitably increase. In addition to the necessary funding, congestion above and below ground is making the replacement of water mains more difficult for utility owners as is the lack of public tolerance for the disruption caused by construction work. There is an increasing availability of technologies for rehabilitation of existing pipes, which provides solutions that minimize or alleviate these problems, while providing realistic and potentially cost-effective alternatives to traditional open cut replacement.