Full Description

Winnipeg, Manitoba's water distribution system is comprised of a complex networkof pipes that has grown with the city. Winnipeg's current population isapproximately 650,000 and comprises a developed area of about 28,000 ha. Thisarea is serviced by approximately 2400 km of distribution water mains. Advancesin information management and asset management provide a means of optimizing thecost-effectiveness of operating and maintaining Winnipeg's water distributionsystem. The first pipes to be used in Winnipeg's water distribution systemconsisted of thick-walled sand-cast grey cast iron pipes. Most of these pipes,which were installed in the early 1900s, are still servicing the oldestneighborhoods and downtown districts of Winnipeg. The choice of water mainmaterials and installation methods has since evolved with advances in materialscience. This growth has resulted in the use of different pipe materialsthroughout the distribution system. Unfortunately, the water distribution systemhas experienced corrosion- related leaks on the metallic water mains. Tocorrectly assess leak history and associated trends, joint characteristics,material type, and age of pipes need to be properly catalogued. The City ofWinnipeg has diligently documented leak repairs on its water distribution system.The ongoing efforts of the City have resulted in a massive amount of data on thetemporal and spatial distribution of leak repairs throughout the waterdistribution system. Traditionally, this information was used to identifycandidate water mains for renewal. It became evident that a GeographicInformation System (GIS) was necessary to manage this enormous amount of dataalong with water main-related information to assess leak trends. Citywide repairswere plotted and correlated to specific water main attributes to betterunderstand leak trends and help define appropriate programs for cathodicprotection or renewal. A modified buffer zone technique using a 100 m square gridpattern for a moving time window was used to assess trends. The application of aGIS-based approach proved to be an effective tool and provides a rapid numericalassessment of trends and a visual presentation of the spatial distribution ofhistoric repair records. A GIS-based approach has the capability of beingexpanded to consider additional factors, such as climatological and soil data, tofurther refine leak trend analysis. It is a valuable tool and will provide theongoing information needed to support decisions and to populate an informationsystem with the data necessary to cost-effectively manage the water main system. Includes table, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 06/01/2001 Number of Pages: 18File Size: 1 file , 550 KB