Precision Over Proximity For decades, the water industry has relied on a “best guess” approach to asset management. When a trunk main reaches a certain age or suffers a high-profile burst, the traditional response is often a blanket replacement. It’s an understandable instinct – protecting the community from service disruptions is paramount. However, this “rip…
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Detection Services Assists with Strategic Network Renewal The Challenge: A Century of Service at a Crossroads This Australian city is built upon a foundation of history, much of which is buried beneath its bustling streets. For a major utility, the state’s water utility, this history presented a significant modern-day challenge. Much of the city’s CBD…
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The Smart Campus Paradox Walk through any premier university campus or large school precinct today, and you will see a testament to modern engineering. 6-Star Green Star buildings, automated climate control, and cutting-edge research facilities define the “Smart Campus” of 2025. Yet, beneath these glass-and-steel structures often lies a network of water infrastructure that is…
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Of all the assets in a water and wastewater portfolio, few present a challenge as complex – or as critical – as the inverted siphon. Whether diving beneath a river, a railway line, or a major highway, these assets are engineering essentials. However, for asset managers, they represent a notorious “blind spot.” By design, inverted…
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Transient Monitoring Uncovers Major Unauthorised Water Use and Asset Risk For councils and utilities managing vast, aging water networks, the silent threat of water hammer – or high magnitude pressure transients – is a constant, insidious risk. These sudden, massive pressure surges drastically accelerate pipe failure, stress joints, and lead to costly, disruptive repairs. This…
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The National Park Service (NPS), in its continued efforts to preserve vital infrastructure within Big Bend National Park, Texas, recently commissioned a condition assessment of the Chisos Basin water supply system. Central to this project was a 4.8km (3 mile), 90mm (3.5-inch) galvanized steel pipeline—installed in 1955—that delivers water from Oak Spring Pump Station to…
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The Challenge: Persistent Dirty Water Complaints For one particular council, ensuring clean and clear drinking water was becoming an increasingly difficult task. A particular area of their water network was plagued by discolouration issues, leading to a surge in customer complaints. In 33 days between December 2024 and January 2024, the council logged 77 dirty…
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The water industry is at a critical juncture. The drumbeat of “asset renewal” reverberates through every conference hall and boardroom, a testament to the aging infrastructure beneath our cities. Yet, despite the undeniable need to replace and upgrade, a nagging question persists: Are we truly doing this better, more efficiently, and driven by data rather…
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The Silent Threat Just as high blood pressure silently damages the human body, leading to potentially fatal consequences like heart attacks, unchecked water pressure within our networks poses a similar threat. Ignoring elevated pressure in a water distribution system is akin to neglecting a critical health issue, risking catastrophic bursts, substantial water loss, and compromised…
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Ensuring the integrity of wastewater infrastructure is essential for protecting both public health and the environment. Aging networks, rising demand, and the increasing unpredictability of extreme weather events pose constant challenges. However, advances in technology—specifically in predictive maintenance powered by wastewater level monitoring—offer a proactive approach to managing these challenges. By harnessing real-time data,…
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