CONTROL AND CONSEQUENCES: REDUCE CONSEQUENCES, REDUCE RISK, SAVE MONEY The Far-Reaching Benefi ts of a Valve Usability Program

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1 Asset Management Operations Improvement Information Services Engineering Support CONTROL AND CONSEQUENCES: REDUCE CONSEQUENCES, REDUCE RISK, SAVE MONEY The Far-Reaching Benefi ts of a Valve Usability Program U.S. UTILITIES FACE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND OVER 240,000 WATER MAIN BREAKS PER YEAR. Fortunately, there is a cost-effective way to manage your infrastructure that can be implemented in the short term. A comprehensive control usability program does more than put you in control of your valves. It puts you in control of your system, reduces the consequences of failures, thereby reducing risk, and saving money. U.S. water piping systems are old and getting older, and we can t replace the pipes fast enough. What we can do now is take control of these aging systems and signifi cantly reduce the footprint, time, and cost of failures and interruptions. The 2012 American Water Works Association (AWWA) report Buried No More confi rms that we have entered the replacement era and need to rebuild our water and wastewater systems. Much of the pipe in these systems is over 50 years old, with some over 100 years old. For water distribution pipe alone, AWWA estimated that between the years 2011 and 2035 replacement needs will total over $526 billion, and when growth needs are added, the total potential investment for those 25 years will be over $1 trillion. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 240,000 water main breaks in the United States every year, which translates into over 650 main breaks per day. An online search for main breaks will quickly turn up damaging breaks every week. Aging infrastructure also contributes to other types of failures -- failures with consequences such as water quality complaints, pressure complaints, reduced fi refi ghting capacity, reduced fi re fl ows due to tuberculation, and water loss (leaks) that undermines roads and creates sinkholes. All these failures cause disruption and require action. All failures cost in Wachs Water Services - White Paper Control and Consequences: Reduce Consequences, Reduce Risk, Save Money 1

2 Usable information in the fi eld multiple ways. When you calculate the true cost of a main break, or any other failure, you quickly fi nd that the dollar value of the lost treated water is important, BUT it is the least of the dollar costs. have not been proactively maintained so when failures occur the consequences last for a longer period of time (duration) and over a broader area (footprint) than the designers ever expected. We all have read about the challenges of our aging water distribution systems. We don t have enough funding to replace all the pipe we would like to. Are there ways to manage our aging infrastructure that are cost-effective, reduce the risk and can be implemented in the short term? Fortunately, the answer is yes, but fi rst, let s looks at the nature of risk. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE RISKS Risk = Probability [x] Consequences In asset management terms, risk equals the probability of a failure times the consequence of the failure. When distribution systems are newer, the risks are low because the probability of failure, in any form, is low. Valves (control assets) are rarely needed to address failures in pipes (static assets) because the pipes themselves are new. Again, the overall risk (and cost) is low primarily because the probability of failure is low. But as the system ages, the probability of all forms of failure goes up, and in recent years has increased dramatically. Compounding the probability of failure, in many cases, is that the valves - the control assets - 2

3 Detailed information when you need it Take, for example, a typical main break, as shown in Figure 1. If all valves can be located, are accessible, and are usable, it usually takes an average of three valves to isolate the failure ( Ideal Scenario ). In this example, you would shut valves #1, #2 and #3 to isolate the failure. But with aging infrastructure, the usability of valves currently averages about 60%. At this low level of usability typically one of these three valves will not be useable. In this example, ( Typical Scenario ) valve #3 happens to be not useable. So you back up to valve #4, #5 and valve #6. Valve #6 happens to not be useable. So you back up to valve #7 to stop the damage. Very quickly, and very typically, this example three-valve shutdown expanded to seven valves. And as the shutdown footprint grows, the (duration) time of the impact also grows and the consequences and costs of failure go up dramatically. What does this mean in the midst of an emergency? It means: Longer time to stop the ongoing damage (duration); longer duration, longer response time to locate useable valves and isolate the failure); more time, more damage, more impacts, more costs. In this example 7 valves must be addressed (each takes time) before we get the shutdown rather than only using 3 valves in a shorter period of time. Traffic disrupted longer; customers without water service longer; labor and equipment required for a longer period. Larger impacted area (footprint); larger area, more damage, more impacts, more costs. In this example, because the shut expanded to 7 valves, 2 fi re hydrants and 17 services were put out of service instead of just 1 fi re hydrant and 3 services with the 3 valve shutdown. Larger area of collateral damage; larger area of disrupted traffi c; more customers without water service; more labor and equipment needed to correct the failure and manage traffi c and safety. More lost water In the event of pipe failure, the inoperability and/ or inaccessibility of any required valve asset will dramatically increase the total consequences of the failure. Such increased consequences apply to ALL failure types for which functioning valves are required, including water quality complaints, pressure issues, fi re fl ow challenges, leaks and catastrophic line breaks. Wachs Water Services - White Paper Control and Consequences: Reduce Consequences, Reduce Risk, Save Money 3

4 Real information at the fi ngertips of the operator Longer and larger outages and problems also damage your customers satisfaction and employees morale. BUT if you reduce the duration and the footprint of a failure, you limit the consequences and drastically reduce risk and cost! THE CASCADING BENEFITS OF USABLE VALVES A proactive, systemwide Control Usability Program can raise valve asset usability from the current industry average of 60% to more than 90%, at a fraction of the cost of replacing static assets (pipes). Increased valve usability reduces consequences, thereby reducing risks and costs. As you increase control usability you decrease the duration and footprint of failures and reduce ALL of the costs of failures. Refer to Figure 2 for the three primary cost categories and their corresponding components, all of which incur costs in the event of pipe failure. You save money, and also make more time, labor and equipment available to address other critical system needs. TWO KEY COMPONENTS OF A VALVE USABILITY PROGRAM: Control Usability & Information Usability A proactive program is the cornerstone of a utility s commitment to deliver cost-effective service to its customers. It requires that both control asset usability and information usability be maximized. Control asset usability requirements for each valve: Locatable: Can the valve be located? Accessible: Can the valve be accessed? Operable: Can the valve be operated? Information usability also requires three things: Accurate: Are the attributes and information correct? Meaningful: Is the data comprehensive? Accessible: Can those who need the data access it when and where they need it? 4

5 Every Valve: Located Accessible Operable These two key components are simultaneously addressed within a comprehensive control usability program. CONTROL USABILITY Can I find it? On average, 15% of all valves can never be located. Searching for valves wastes critical time, increasing the collateral damage, impact area and lost water in the event of a main break. And when you can t fi nd a valve when you need it, what do you do? You back up and look for the next valve (or valves), which increases the length of time and the footprint of the problem. Can I access it? Once located, can the valve be accessed? Based on Wachs Water Services experience, 10% of all valves are paved over and can t be accessed without additional work. An additional 9% of valves are incorrectly positioned closed when they should be open, or open when they should be closed. And when you can t access a valve when you need it, what do you do? You back up and look for the next valve (or valves), which increases the length of time and the footprint of the problem. Can I operate it? WWS has found that approximately 6% of all valves are inoperable due to tuberculation, debris, or physical valve failure. If you can t operate it, the valve can t be used for system control and shutdowns. And when you can t operate a valve when you need it, what do you do? You back up and look for the next valve (or valves), which increases the length of time and the footprint of the problem. The good news is that, while on average 60% of valves are currently usable, the vast majority of those that are not usable can be rehabilitated in place. On average, only 2% of valves can t be rehabilitated and have to be replaced to restore usability. Many valves can be rehabilitated immediately, in the fi eld, at the time of condition assessment and data documentation. These rehabilitations can include raising the valve box to grade, replacing operating nuts from street level, re-gearing damaged external gears, and many other types of rehabilitation actions that will return a valve to 100% usability and extend its useful life. At the end of the fi eld assessment phase of a Control Usability Program, you will know which valves can be located, accessed, and operated and exactly where they are. In short, you should know exactly which control assets can be depended on and which cannot Wachs Water Services - White Paper Control and Consequences: Reduce Consequences, Reduce Risk, Save Money 5

6 Your Data: Accurate Meaningful Accessible in the event of a failure. This brings us to the second key component of usability. INFORMATION USABILITY The natural step after fi eld-collecting accurate and meaningful data for each of your valve assets is to make that information available to all stakeholders. The challenge begins with understanding what data is relevant to document and ends with providing this information to the stakeholders who can realize the most benefi t. Let s dig deeper into the three things required to achieve information usability. Is my information accurate? Most utilities rely on unconsolidated and unconfi rmed records, such as asbuilt drawings, plat maps, and institutional knowledge inside an experienced team member s head. Most geographic information systems (GISs) start as an electronic representation of existing paper maps for which accuracy has rarely been confi rmed. These records are often approximations at best, and the inaccuracies cost time in an emergency - time that increases consequences and costs. A proactive Control Usability Program gathers accurate information during the fi eld assessment phase. For instance, WWS collects information on as many as 60 attributes (physical and operational) on every valve and 40 attributes for every hydrant that is assessed. These attributes include using a highly accurate GPS to determine the exact location to within one foot. Is my information meaningful? What data should be collected/documented? Is it organized for easy use? A well developed program will capture relevant data and organize the information into integrated CAD/GIS data platforms and EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) platforms. Once information is integrated into the utility s business systems, it can then be provided to end users. Is my information accessible? Stakeholders, such as water managers, engineers, hydraulic modelers, and fi eld crews should have access to system data in order to make decisions. For fi eld crews, a good proactive system will use mobile technology to make the information accessible in the fi eld. No longer will someone need to go pull the information from a central fi le. Response time is reduced, as a crew can literally be en route to a failure site knowing they will have the information they need to control and isolate the problem and begin work as soon as they arrive. 6

7 Know the location of ALL of your valves. An accessible, well-designed control asset information system can be used to generate reports, schedule maintenance and manage work orders. Data from the fi eld can be uploaded directly into the system, keeping it up to date. Information systems can generate maps of trouble areas and reports of time, impact, and costs, facilitating data analysis and empowering informed decisions. By increasing control asset usability to 90% or better, knowing which assets are usable, and having accurate and meaningful information instantly available, the consequences of failures are reduced dramatically. The increase in system control and optimization reduces the duration and footprint of failures, thereby reducing risk and reducing costs, AND delivering a high return on investment. Actual savings from control of consequences can be huge. How long does it take to address a failure? What is the average cost of the collateral damage, of labor and equipment, of lost water? Don t overlook the nonmonetary costs! What is the cost to your utility in customer satisfaction and in employee morale and turnover? What are the savings from controlling these consequences? What if control response time could be cut by an hour or cut in half for each failure? How would the duration and footprint of the impact be reduced? How would those reductions impact the collateral damage, labor and equipment, and lost water costs? For many systems the savings are immense and, even better, immediate! Consider how your customer satisfaction would go up with a prompt response and minimized footprint of impact. System control also gives employees confi dence in their ability to operate the system on demand, as the original system designers intended. The knowledge that they Wachs Water Services - White Paper Control and Consequences: Reduce Consequences, Reduce Risk, Save Money 7

8 If you have access to the web, you have access to your data. have the tools and information to quickly address nearly any situation will increase their satisfaction with and commitment to the system. Even better, these savings free up resources, both time and money, to address other capital improvement needs and help defer replacement costs. Best of all, system control continues to pay back through increased information accuracy, signifi cance and accessibility as the entire system is maintained. A comprehensive control usability program does more than put you in control of your valves. It puts you in control of your system, reduces the consequences of failures, reduces risk, and saves money not just today, but year after year. 801 Asbury Drive Buffalo Grove, IL (800) info@wachsws.com 8