US National Mains Failures Database: Lessons From a Trial Version

This project trialed a mains failure database developed in the UK with US data on drinking water mains. In the 2000s, UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) developed a National Mains Failure Database (NMFD) with 40-50 data fields of pipe inventory and failures to allow analysis of sewer and mains failure data. The data is anonymous and uploaded by UK utilities. In this project, the database was modified for a US drinking water context and trialed from 2008 to 2012. Few US utilities trialed the database due to resource constraints, lack of data or time to prepare the data, inability to use an external IT product, or lack of desire to contribute to a national database. The database structure and data sharing protocol were noteworthy. The data fields suggested are of specific interest as they represent the shared views of utility experts as to which variables are most important in explaining mains failures. For the US audience, about 30 data fields are recommended for creating an inventory of pipes and tracking failures. The NMFD uses a Pipe Library (a listing of pipe diameter, thickness, class and year of manufacture) as a validity check on inputted data. This project created a US Pipe Library of common pipe types that was useful for this project and may also be useful in a range of asset management activities. The final report discusses the results and provides some anonymous data. In addition to the report, the U.S. Pipe Library is available as a spreadsheet under Web Tools. Published in 2014.

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