DUDEK - Irvine Ranch Water District Pipeline Assessment

Infrastructure Development

Irvine Ranch Water District Assesses Wastewater Pipeline Failure Risks
Taking a proactive approach to wastewater pipeline management, Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) embarked on an intensive study of its 880-mile long pipeline network. This study analyzed the risk and reliability of each pipe based on geographic information systems technology.

The district, encompassing approximately 179 square miles in southern central Orange County, identified areas that pose the highest failure risks. This included pipelines near Interstate 405 freeway and San Diego Creek, which feeds into Newport Bay.

“We analyzed each pipe to determine the likelihood and consequences of a failure,” explained Noah Walker, Dudek’s principal utility planner who spearheaded the study. “Elements of the analysis included issues such as corrosion rates that indicated likely failure rates, while pipes near natural waterways and thoroughfares were given particular scrutiny due to their relatively higher impact potential.”

The study identified areas where IRWD needed to better concentrate its resources, for example, by improving accessibility to storage tanks and deployment of on-call pumping crews should there be a failure in higher impact areas.

“Based on the initial study’s findings, the district is now investigating alternatives for maintaining our system reliability as our pipes age,” said Michael Hoolihan, a principal engineer with IRWD. Like many other Southern California wastewater agencies, IRWD is finding the high cost of system failure will often justify the extra cost of providing enhanced system reliability.

“Essentially, we are focusing our resources to maintain the service reliability we and our customers expect of the district,” concluded Hoolihan.

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