Asset management for Tamworth Regional Council’s sewer network

Abstract

[Abstract]: Some sections of Australian sewers are more than 100 years old and their condition is declining as networks age and effluents become more hostile, that is they contain materials the sewers were not designed to carry. In Australia during the past two decades the rehabilitation of existing civil infrastructure has become increasingly important. The rehabilitation of existing sewer assets has become prevalent since the 1990’s as existing infrastructure has reached its useful life and is beginning to fail. Tamworth Regional Council is located in North West New South Wales and provides sewer services to approximately 50,000 customers through four sewer networks. The current sewer asset portfolio is estimated to be 187 million dollars and includes approximately 500 kilometres of sewer pipe network. This research project examines the current industry methods used for sewer asset management including asset assessment and rehabilitation. The study completes a benchmark analysis by comparing current asset management practices being undertaken by Tamworth Regional Council against industry best practice. The findings of this analysis were used to develop a sewer asset management strategy for Tamworth Regional Council and ongoing works program and budget. The project considered all aspects of sewer asset management to improve Tamworth Regional Council’s sewer network performance for aspects such as blockages, overflows and stormwater inflow/infiltration. Through the adoption and implementation of this strategy, Council can approach the future with confidence that it will provide sustainable sewer asset management while continuously improving its desired levels of services to its customers.