Managing Aging Water Infrastructure Assets: Planning Ahead Saves Time and MoneyBy Sandra Fallon and Mark Kemp-Rye Word Count 1,596Few things are as dramatic as a levee break or a bridge collapse. The tragedies associated with Hurricane Katrina and the I-35 bridge failure in Minneapolis have put the serious state of America’s public works in the spotlight and sparked renewed discussions about the country’s aging infrastructure. Meanwhile, another infrastructure crisis is happening largely out of sight and out of mind: the country’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems are aging. And while these systems rarely make the national news, the threat that deteriorating facilities pose to hard-won environmental and public health improvements is no less real. Much of the water infrastructure we rely on today was installed after World War II, although some cities have pipes in the ground dating back to the 1800s. Much of this equipment has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be repaired or replaced. The U.S Government Accountability Office estimates that nationwide up to a $1 trillion investment is needed in drinking water and wastewater systems over the nexttwo decades. “Infrastructure” refers to the pipes, treatment plants, pumps, valves, water storage tanks, hydrants, and other critical components that deliver safe drinking water to our taps, support fire and emergency services,remove wastewater from our homes and other buildings, and carry away storm water from our streets. Thisinfrastructure helps protect the public health, the environment, and economic activity; contributes to a good quality of life; and likely represents the community’s largest capital investment. What are the Impacts of Aging Water Infrastructure?Infrastructure malfunction and failure can disrupt any and all water services, and problems are more likelyto occur as equipment ages. One of the biggest problems is water loss from leaks or breaks in the drinking water distribution system: the underground pipes that carry water from the treatment plant to the user. Water lost equals money lost, because the water has already been treated. Furthermore, the public health is at risk if harmful organisms enter the pipe and flow to the tap. Broken or blocked wastewater pipes can cause systems to overflow during major rainstorms or heavy snowmelt and discharge raw (untreated) sewage into local waterways. This, along with stormwater discharges, especially during heavy rainfalls, can pollute beaches and waterways making them unsafe for swimming, fishing, and boating.Local Government Leadership is KeyProviding clean, safe, and affordable water to our citizens is one of the greatest public health achievementsof the last century. Local government has been at the forefront, serving as the public entity responsible for providing sewer, water, and storm water services to generations of families in local communities. Below are some key strategies for maintaining and sustaining these critical services. Learn about the condition of your water infrastructure. An important first step is to discuss with your water and sewer plant operators/managers the condition of the systems. Visit the drinking water system well or surface water intake, treatment plant, points along the distribution system, and storage tanks. Take 1a look at the wastewater treatment plant and processes, pump stations and other key points along the collection system, inspect the manhole covers and storm drains, as well as the discharge points where treated water or storm water is released into the environment. Get to know how the system operates. Find out if there’s a maintenance plan, what equipment works and what doesn’t, and what can happen as a result. This small investment of time up front can yield better decisions and save time and money in the long run.Implement an asset management plan. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asset management is a “planning process that ensures that you get the most value from each of your assets and have the financial resources to rehabilitate and replace them when necessary.” Assets to consider managing typically include any infrastructure component that has a useful life of more than one year. Asset management involves gathering key information to determine: (1) what you have, (2) where it is, (3)what condition it’s in, and (4) how long you can expect it to last. You can then use this information to make timely maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, replacement, capital improvement, rate-setting, financial planning, and other decisions. A utility’s existing plans, such as the strategic, long-range, operations and maintenance, or capital improvement plan can be integrated or aligned with the asset management plan.Any size system can benefit from asset management planning. For example, the asset management plan may indicate that it’s more cost-effective to replace a piece of equipment now, rather than spend money maintaining it for several more years. It can also help identify the cost to replace and maintain all equipment over the next 10 or 20 years, and help calculate how much money to set aside in reserve each year to cover these future expenses. In the long run, asset management can help you move out of crisis management mode, extend the service life of equipment, reduce system down-time, identify repair and replacement costs, give you more time to plan and research cost-effective solutions for replacing and rehabilitating assets, improve your ability to comply with regulations, show the public and investors that you are using their money effectively and efficiently, enhance your opportunity for obtaining financing, and enable system personnel to use their limited time and resources most efficiently. Asset management resources are listed at the end of this article, including streamlined approaches for small systems.Educate the public. When it’s time to repair, rehabilitate, or replace your water infrastructure, it’s important for the public to understand and support your goals because taxpayers and ratepayers may be affected. Public education is a proactive way to inform the public about the value of the infrastructure, its condition and needs, and what’s required to keep water services up and running. Research suggests that people prefer to learn about water issues by reading printed fact sheets, bulletins, and brochures; reading