Water Asset Management (WAM)

All water supply systems are made up of assets (infrastructure). These include pipes, water meters, control valves, pressure reducing/regulating valves, air release valves, washout valves, pumps, motors etc. 

All these assets serve different roles within the water supply systems, ultimately contributing to the overall objective of supplying clean water to the public.

Therefore, the functionality and integrity of all the assets that form part of the water supply system should be guaranteed at all times. However, like is with all assets, they are subject to wear and tear. These assets have a role to play in managing water losses and enhancing energy efficiency. As such, air release valves prevent air surges that lead to turbulent flows which oftentimes result in bursts and leakages; pressure reducing valves regulate pressure in sections of the water supply systems, preventing the occurrence of bursts; control valves regulate pressure as well control wastage during repairs etc.

It is important therefore to ensure that these assets are strategically located, well protected from damage, and that their functionality is guaranteed sustainably. This is what makes strategic water asset management critical for all water supply systems. Our strategic planning and water asset management interventions help extend the lifespan and efficiency of water supply infrastructure, wastewater equipment, and stormwater systems. Our comprehensive know-how within the water, wastewater, and stormwater sectors gives us unrivalled forecasting abilities that help optimize investment, bring cost and service level benefits, and maximize asset longevity and value.

Our technical experts bring an experienced eye and a fresh outlook to carefully study your water supply system with regards to water supply pressures, distribution pipe specifications, water quality, and all system components, and guide you on the right infrastructure to use, how long it will serve, and how often it should be replaced, with an overall aim of driving operational efficiency. We thus provide you with project lifecycle solutions to maximize asset values, from feasibility studies through to decommissioning. This enables you to optimize operations and maximize plant asset values throughout the lifecycle of the facilities.

We support clients to formulate asset management plans (AMPs) in connection with maintenance and rehabilitation/replacement of water supply utility assets (e.g. water distribution systems, treatment plants, pumping stations, etc.), and to assist with implementation of annual AMPs. Our AMPs encompass strategic planning, management and maintenance strategies, risk analyses, condition surveys, and rehabilitation or replacement of above ground and underground assets.

Water Infrastructure Condition Assessments (Capital Needs Assessment Plans).

Water extraction, treatment, supply, and distribution infrastructure ages with time. Damage is mainly due to seismic activity, traffic activities; damage caused by growing tree roots, and regular wear and tear. Moreover, as quality deteriorates over time, it ultimately affects water quality, hence leakages (water losses), financial losses, and health challenges posed. The more they age, the more they are prone to failure. This can be mitigated by having a well-planned and managed system with pressure valves well placed in the network, meters, tanks, rightly sized pumps, so we ensure high structural and functional integrity of the system. The functionality largely depends on how these are well placed in the distribution system.

Every day, pipe failures cause significant water losses, customer service is disrupted with each failure, emergency crews are often called in during night hours, and pipes that are replaced often have several years of remaining useful life; incurring costs that could have been used elsewhere. When it comes to infrastructure planning and management, more often than not, managers and engineers are required to create effective operating and capital planning programs that will result in lower non-revenue water loss, improved customer satisfaction, enhanced workers’ safety, while keeping their budget in check.

Furthermore, leaking and bursting portions of the water supply systems pose a serious public health threat. Whenever pipe bursts occur, water pressure into that section of the system is controlled to enable repairs proceed. However, in the course, pathogens and other contaminants within the vicinity may enter pipes and result in a public health threat. On the other hand, unseen and therefore unrepaired leaking portions of the system are too prone to pathogen entry whenever pressures are low.

At SANKOFA, we undertake water infrastructure condition assessments (replace aging and deteriorated facilities), infrastructure valuation and compilation of infrastructure asset registers. Under this, we undertake pipeline condition assessments; assess technical asset performance, reliability and risk audits, and technical audits. These conditions assessments are key as they help in various ways as outlined below;

• Monitor and respond: They enable gathering of robust information on the water supply systems, which helps react to disruptions and emergencies faster. The condition assessments enable water utilities identify various blind spots, thus well positioned to achieve operational excellence,
• Asset health: The assessments enable utilities monitor asset health (condition) and to minimize asset deterioration and extend the life of water supply network assets,
• Improved utility performance: The assessment reports and data gathered enable utilities to respond faster with accurate forward visibility based on better information, which drives better outcomes, improves response times, and customer satisfaction levels. The assessments as well do identify opportunities to drive operational efficiencies,
• Reduced duration of disruptions: The assessments help lessen duration and disruption of maintenance and repairs. They enable utilities foresee and pre-empt future network failures (e.g., locate growing leaks before pipes break) and prepare and respond to emergencies,
• Deployment of advanced asset management tools for continuous water flow monitoring, non-revenue water monitoring, and increased speed of leakage detection, location, and repair, diagnosis of water meter issues ranging from asset registers, to crossover issues, to meters that may be defunct or of incorrect size,
• Help minimize premature pipe replacements (misguided pipeline repair costs), reduction of future failures with more effective capital plans, replacement and rehabilitation planning. The condition assessments and use of gathered pipeline condition data lead to significant capital savings through targeted improvements as compared to the cost of wholesale replacement,
• Knowledge of high-risk areas and other areas where pipe segments are prone to structural system failures e.g., road crossings/road resurfacing works, areas under redevelopment, etc,
• Guide decisions on whether to partially replace segments of distribution piping instead of replacing them outright. It gives utility engineers another big-picture frame of reference on changing hydraulics relative to whether the utility’s customer base is growing or shrinking or where the utility is in its budget cycle.

We undertake assets analysis, including asset criticality assessments to know the CAPMANEX costs of the utility/municipal and the components that need repair. Through this, we enable our clients to identify zones with high levels of water loss, either system wide or specific zones, areas with a high rate of water main breaks or aging pipe infrastructure, and locations of high consequence in the event of a main failure.

Water mains condition assessment services are used for;

• Baseline understanding of water main condition,
• Replacement and rehabilitation planning,
• Rate case justification,
• Due diligence support for water system acquisitions,
• Reduction in the number of water main breaks experienced by a city, municipality, or rural growth centre (RGC).

Our high-end water asset management consulting includes;

• Technical asset performance, reliability, and risk audits,
• Asset performance optimization i.e. comprehensive asset risk analytics and planning support services,
• Development of more effective capital plans to reduce future failures,
• Identification of pipes of interest for condition assessments, thus minimize premature pipe replacements, as well as inform targeted leak monitoring and valve exercising programs,
• Utilization of data to develop asset management programs.

We undertake water infrastructure condition assessments (replace aging and deteriorated facilities), infrastructure valuation, and compilation of infrastructure asset registers for water utilities and municipal governments, enhancing service performance of their water supply and wastewater infrastructure.

Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM).

Preventive maintenance is defined as routine, scheduled activities performed before equipment failure for the purpose of extending service life of equipment, reducing O&M costs, and increasing reliability. Maintenance programs should devote an appropriate level of resources to preventive maintenance. PPM is vital for such water infrastructure as:

• Mechanical equipment,
• Screens,
• Pumps,
• Motors,
• Valves,
• Electrical equipment,
•  

Every asset has a recommended schedule e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, or bi-annually when PPM is conducted. Preventive maintenance is carried out in accordance with a maintenance procedure sheet. This maintenance is done to clarify the status such as deterioration of facilities, and to conduct repairs and improvement works as scheduled. If any defective part is found by this task, it is immediately replaced with suitable measures. Preventive maintenance is carried out in accordance with the yearly execution schedule. This reduces cases of abrupt equipment failure, extends asset lifespan, minimizes downtime, improves safety, minimizes repair costs, and reduces operating costs.

We offer planned preventive maintenance of water assets, especially electromechanical equipment. As is the case, equipment like pumps don’t instantly break down or fail, but this is a gradual process, which may be detected through routine health and performance checks, via PPM arrangement. This increases the lifecycle and prolongs asset lifespan, saving you billions in replacement costs.

Water supply infrastructure is critical to communities because it provides clean water to residents and helps meet peak demand. Regular inspection and maintenance ensure that everything works as intended so end users have reliable access to water when it is needed. Without maintenance, the efficiency of the facilities may decline or they may malfunction. Adequate, timely, and preventative maintenance must be carried out to ensure continuous water of the recommended quality and quantity.

Preventive maintenance is ideal for the following types of assets;

• Assets with critical operational functions,
• Assets with high financial value,
• Assets with preventable failure modes,
• Assets with an increased likelihood of failure,
• Assets with statutory requirements.

The types of preventive maintenance that we offer can fall in any of the four (04) categories i.e. usage based, time based, predictive, and condition-based maintenance.

Without a solid maintenance strategy in place, it remains a self-destructive strategy for utilities as they grapple with lost time, lost efficiencies, and stranded assets.