Asset condition assessment of municipal drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems – Challenges and directions forward

The technical bases for the development of asset management plans (AMPs) for municipal water infrastructure are rapidly evolving, with regard to both available software and strategies for data assembly. The challenges and assistance available from an array of AMPs in the technical literature are reviewed, including the capabilities and suitability of some data acquisition technologies. Specific strategies which are important for municipalities while developing effective AMPs are also described. The review concludes there is extensive literature on ‘how’ successful AMPs can be implemented for drinking water and wastewater systems in Canada, but guidance for stormwater is lacking. Guidance on assessing the condition of existing assets, how to define and maintain acceptable levels of service, and the availability of software tools to assist in asset management exist for the former, but not the latter. Moving forward, opportunities to better link both grey (traditional) and green (non-traditional) stormwater, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure are described.