scope:

PREFACE

This Manual of Practice provides an investigator with an appropriate path to adequately determine the structural status of an individual pipeline or pipeline system. The manual provides recommendations and information to assist in a detailed approach to prioritize a program and develop an accurate determination of the condition of the individual pipelines. With an understanding of the structure of such a program, understanding the nature of the materials to be evaluated, the tools available for the evaluation, and what information the findings should provide, the Water Pipeline Condition Assessment report can and should provide critical input to an asset management program.

The "Introduction" walks the reader through the steps to achieve this goal and provides the framework for this manual. The next chapters provide information on the type of reporting that utilities should be implementing and the planning that then goes into the structure of the condition assessment. Six chapters, written by experts in each material, discuss pipeline materials including cast iron, ductile iron, concrete (all variations), steel, fiberglass, PVC, and asbestos cement pipe. Although repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of the individual materials is not a function of the condition assessment, they are an important part of an asset management program; therefore, information on each product has been provided for assistance. "Pipe Inspection Tools" deals with the various tools available for the assessment, for which materials they can be used, and what they can and cannot accomplish. The Condition Assesment Report chapter provides an understanding of the results that should be expected, and the "Case Studies" provide guidance from actual projects covering the majority of the pipe products that have been available.