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T he Portuguese Pavilion at the World WaterForum dedicated the 17 March 2009 towater science and research. Because assetmanagement of urban water infrastructures is akey research and development topic worldwide,and Portugal is not an exception, LNEC, thePortuguese national laboratory of civilengineering, and the Strategic Asset Management(SAM) Specialist Group of IWA jointly organised apanel discussion aiming at identifying researchchallenges and opportunities for a sustainable

asset management of urban water infrastructures.The objective was to get a multi-stakeholderperspective. Contributors included the IWAPresident, the IWA SAM SG Chair, a senior officerof the European Investment Bank, utility CEOs,consultants, academics, researchers, andrepresentatives of national professionalassociations, in order to try and identify the bestpaths to move forward.

Portugal has a word to say in terms of asset

management because the water sector has had aremarkable evolution in the past 15 years interms of quality of the services provided,institutional and organisational framework,investments made in new infrastructures,regulatory environment, management skills andscientific developments. The organisation inLisbon of LESAM 2007, the IWA Leading-EdgeSAM Conference, and the on-going nationalproject AWARE-P (advanced water assetrehabilitation in Portugal (www.aware-p.org)) are

two examples of remarkable initiatives for pavingthe way for a sustainable management of urbanwater infrastructures. There is a need for jointinitiatives, particularly in Europe, that createsynergies, and allow for sharing and comple-menting competences and experiences.Research and development (R&D) has to bebased on the joint work and cooperation betweenthe key types of stakeholders, such as utilities,regulators, researchers, users, authorities and

financial agencies. This is fundamental to createstakeholder awareness, change the existingculture of takingthe water services for granted,implement adequate financial mechanisms,create know-how and develop effectivedecision support tools.

Speakers were encouraged to identify themain SAM drivers, R&D gaps and priorities, andproducts needed. Discussion was rich and thecontributions complemented each other, whilstdemonstrating common views on the key

aspects. Outcomes of the meeting aresummarised in the table below.

Helena Alegre is Head of theUrbanWater Division of LNEC andChair of theIWA SAM Specialist Group.Email: halegre@lnec.pt

Rafaela Matos is Director of theHydraulics andEnvironment Department of LNEC.Email: rmatos@lnec.pt

Paving the way for a sustainable asset managementof urban water infrastructures: outcomes of the 5thWorld Water Forum

SAM drivers: Promote adequate levels of service and strengthen services reliability. Improve the sustainable useof water andenergy while minimizing thecarbon footprint. Plan andpromote climate changeadaptationsin a phasedway. Manage risk of service failure, taking into account users needs and risk acceptability. Give preference to rehabilitation of existing assets instead of building new, when feasible. Promote investment and operational efficiency gains of water utilities. Make a clear and straight forward justification of investment priorities.

R&D gaps Innovative technologies for asset condition assessment (e.g., online monitoring) and better understanding of the relationship between asset condition and

level of service. Information management improvements and understanding organizational constraints. Better understanding and incorporation in the SAM process of the stakeholders needs and expectations. Managing interactions between urban infrastructures (drinking water and wastewater, urban water and other). Better understanding and improved control of asset deterioration processes. Economic assessment of indirect and external costs and benefits. Reliable, long lasting and low cost rehabilitation materials.

Quantifying uncertainty in the different models. Water security innovation.

R&D priorities and products needed AM regional directives, international standards and guidelines (e.g. AM policy, AM methodologies and procedures, protocols for data collection and

information management). Guidelines andcommunication materials to promote the changeof culture of theorganizations with a continuing effort to implement SAM. Comprehensive, user-friendly and flexible SAM computer-based systems that promote a step by step SAM implementation. Common framework andplug andplay software systems, andmodels for SAMof small andmedium size utilitiesand systems. Communication, training materials and guidelines expressly directed to the operational/field staff. Finance models. Reference methods for economic assessment. Enhanced construction and renewal materials and performance assessment of new materials. Standard risk management guidelines for urban water systems, includinghow to deal with risks associated to lowprobabilityhazards andcatastrophic

consequences.

Effective international networks of SAM stakeholders, including service users. Processes for assessment of asset condition. New generation of information management systems for SAM that allow for integrating and incorporating different existing information systems. Best practice manuals and training materials (including for e-learning) addressed to the policy-makers, technical staff and operational staff and to utilitieswith

different levels of complexity and development. Decisionsupport tools to support water systems adaptation to climate changeand efficientuse of water andenergy, assuring added flexibility andresilience.

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A listing of upcoming assetmanagement-related eventsand conferences. Send eventdetails to WAMI for inclusion.

IWA Water Loss Task Force WaterLossUK Seminar,Workshop and Exhibition 9-10 June 2009, NEC,

Birmingham, UKTel +44 191 3840993Email: enquiries@waterlossuk.comWeb: www.waterlossuk.com

AWWA Annual Conference &

Exposition (ACE09) 14-18 June 2009, San Diego, USAContact: CiliaKohn/TriciaLougheadEmail: awwamktg@awwa.orgWeb: www.awwa.org/ace09

Singapore International Water Week - Singapore

22-25 June 2009Web: www.siww.com.sg

Asset Management of Medium and Small Wastewater Utilities

3-4 July 2009, Alexandroupolis,GreeceContact: Konstantinos P. TsagarakisTel: +30 28310 77433 or+306945706431Email: iwa@econ.soc.uoc.grWeb: http://iwasam.env.duth.gr

2nd International Conference

on Water Economics, Statistics & Finance 3-5 July 2009, Alexandroupolis,GreeceContact: Konstantinos P. TsagarakisTel: +30 28310 77433

Email:iwa@econ.soc.uoc.grWeb: www.soc.uoc.gr/iwa

5th IWA Specialist Conference on Efficient Use and Management of Urban Water Supply 19-21 October 2009, Sydney,Australia

Web: www.efficient2009.com

IWA World Water Congress 19-24 October 2010, Montreal,CanadaWeb: www.iwa2010montreal.org

AM UPDATES

Strategic Asset Management for Water andWastewater UtilitiesInvited papers from the IWA Leading Edge Conference on Strategic Asset Management (LESAM), Lisbon, October 2007 Editor: H Alegre Water and Wastewater companies operatingall around the world have faced rising assetmanagement and replacement costs, oftento levels that are financially unsustainable.

Management of investment needs, whilemeeting regulatory and other goals, has required:A better understanding of what customersdemand from the services they pay for, andthe extent to which they are willing to pay forimprovements or be compensated for areduction in performance; Development of models to predict asset failure and to identifyand concentrate investment on critical assets;Improved management systems; Improvedaccounting for costs and benefits and theirincorporation within an appropriate cost-benefitframework; Incorporation of risk managementtechniques; Utilisation of advanced maintenancetechniques including new rehabilitationfailure detection technologies; Enhancementsin pipeline materials, technologies andlaying techniques.

These papers developed from LESAM 2007for inclusion in Strategic Asset Management arefocused on the techniques, technologies andmanagement approaches aiming at optimisingthe investment in infrastructure while achievingdemanded customer service standards, and theyprovide an opportunity to gain access to thelatest discussion and developments at theleading-edge in this field. This book will beessential reading for utility operators andmanagers, regulators and consultants.IWA Publishing, 15 July 2009ISBN: 9781843391869400pp. HardbackPrice: 100.00/US$200.00/ 150.00IWA members price:75.00/US$150.00/ 112.50To order, visit: www.iwapublishing.com

Private Sector Participation in

Water InfrastructureAuthor: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Many countries have sought the involvement of the private sector to upgrade and develop theirwater and sanitation infrastructure and improvethe efficiency of water systems. However, highcapital intensity, large initial outlays, long pay-back periods, immobility of assets and low ratesof return generate high risks. These factors,when combined with poor initial informationand weak investment environment, limit thescale of private sector participation in waterand sanitation infrastructure.

Recognisingthis, the OECD has developedpractical guidance, building on the OECDPrinciples for Private Sector Participationin Infrastructure, to help governments andother stakeholders to assess and managethe implications of involving private actors inthe financing, development and managementof water and sanitation infrastructure. Theresulting OECD Checklist for PublicActionprovides a coherent catalogue of policydirections for consideration by governments,including appropriate allocation of roles, risksand responsibilities, framework conditionsand contractual arrangements necessary tomake the best of private sector participationand harness more effectively the capacitiesof all stakeholders.IWA Publishing, March 2009ISBN: 9781843392712180pp. PaperbackPrice: 39.00/US$78.00/ 58.50IWA members price: 29.25/US$58.50/ 43.88To order, visit: www.iwapublishing.com

Field Computing Applications and WirelessTechnologies for Water UtilitiesWater Research Foundation Report 91224 + CD- ROM Authors: C Stern, K Mallakis, M Hernandez, B Iadarola, U Srinivasan and S Sakpal Water utility field service employees, in manycases representing more than 50 percent of autilitys workforce, provide mission-criticalfrontline services such as asset maintenance

and repair, emergency response, facility datacollection, inspection, line locations, meterreading, record drawings, security, surveys,water quality sampling, and customer fieldservices. Although the costs for field serviceemployees account for a large and significantcomponent of the industrys operating budget,relatively little has been accomplished inevaluating the ability of field computingapplications and wireless technologies tomeasurably improve service and enhanceoperating efficiency.

The purpose of this project was to assessthe current state and use of field computingtechnologies throughout the water industry,describe key work practices performed bymobile utility workforces and field serviceprofessionals, review existing and emergingfield computing and wireless technologies,and quantify improvement opportunitiesand benefits.

The research approach included a literaturereview, an end-user survey, and case studies.Secondary research was conducted on currentand emerging mobiletechnologies and onwireless data management systems/solutions.The researchers developed and implemented adiscussion guide for the primary researchinterviews. Based on these discussions, the teamdeveloped and tested a web-based surveyquestionnaire. Five case studies, the core of thisproject, were developed to: illustrate existing fieldcomputing and wireless implementations;demonstrate associated operational and serviceimprovements; identify areas where benefitscould be gained from further use of field comput-ingand wireless technologies; and conduct aReturn on Investment (ROI) analysis on the fieldcomputing and Mobile Resource Management(MRM) related projects implemented by theutilities participating in the case study.IWA Publishing, April 2009ISBN: 9781843396284152 pp. PaperbackPrice: 120.00/US$240.00/ 180.00IWA members price:78.00/US$156.00/ 117.00To order, visit: www.iwapublishing.com

For more information and to order these and other titles from IWA Publishing, visit www.iwapublishing.com