Condition Assessment of Large Water Mains
This webinar presents a case study from the perspective of a U.S. municipal utility, following its inspection journey from initial risk screening and problem definition to the evaluation of available inspection technologies.
International Society for Trenchless Technology
Starts
Apr 01, 2026
Language
EnglishDuration:60 minutes
Start Time:
14:00 GMT+1Format
OnlineMember fee(LMIC): $0.00
Member fee: $0.00
Standard fee: $0.00
Description
Pipeline owners increasingly seek practical ways to understand the true condition of water and wastewater pressure pipelines before committing to major rehabilitation or replacement programmes.
This webinar presents a case study from the perspective of a U.S. municipal utility, following its inspection journey from initial risk screening and problem definition to the evaluation of available inspection technologies.
Different inspection approaches are compared in terms of capabilities, limitations and applicability to specific pipeline conditions and asset types, explaining the reasoning that led the utility to select an ultrasonic inspection approach. The session then follows the inspection process and the use of results to support asset management decisions.
The webinar concludes with the economic perspective of the project, comparing the cost of inspection and targeted interventions with the estimated capital expenditure of full pipeline replacement in an urban environment. Lessons learned and validation from international projects, including Japan, will also be briefly highlighted.
Target Audience
This webinar is relevant for utility asset managers, engineers, consultants and decision-makers involved in water and wastewater pressure pipelines. While the content is particularly useful for professionals working with force mains and transmission mains, the session is open to anyone interested in practical, data-driven asset management approaches.
No prior specialist knowledge of inspection technologies is required.
Learning Format
Webinar Outcomes
Following this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand the differences between commonly used inspection techniques for force mains and drinking water mains.
- Recognise what type of information different inspection methods can and cannot deliver.
- Understand typical preparation and enabling works required for inline inspections.
- Follow a complete inspection process from problem definition through execution to results, using a real case example.
- Compare inspection costs and outcomes with replacement scenarios and understand how inspection data is validated and used at scale.
Speakers/Panelist Details
Speakers
- Edzer Kooistra, Sales USA, Global Acquaint (https://www.linkedin.com/in/edzerkooistra/)
- Mark Pranger, Sales France, NL Acquaint (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-pranger-24960a180/)
Moderator
- Ari (Argjira) Gashi, Sales Assistant, Rädlinger Primus Line GmbH (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-gashi-636662276/)
Related IWA Specialist Groups
Strategic Asset Management
The sustainability of urban water services requires medium‐ and long‐term infrastructure planning, including not only the renewal of strategies and tactics, but also the financial, organizational and information management aspects that are needed to ensure that stakeholders’ needs and expectations are met over time.
A key issue is the implementation of the ISO 55000 standards in the urban water sector, as drivers for the organisations’ continuous improvement. Another “hot topic” is Communication on Asset Management.
Water Loss
The Water Loss Specialist Group is strongly focused on all treated water that is lost, which is mostly from underground leaks on water-mains and water service pipes, and also how to reduce those losses through leak detection and hydraulic control. However those losses include any water that has entered the networks following treatment, and fails to get through to consumers/customers. Identifying how much water is being lost is the recommended starting place for utilities and practioners. The group has developed a method of accounting for all water entering a water supply system, and this process has been accepted world –wide by everyone associated with managing water networks. The terminology then changed from “Unaccounted For Water”’ to “Non Revenue Water”, on the basis that all water can now be accounted for, albeit that the IWA process for accounting for water will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of data they have for measurement. This “top down” approach provides a strategic direction for utility managers to determine their best approach to reducing losses. The group has also identified four important actions that can be taken to reduce water losses, and subsequently this has been graphically shown as a strategic plan to reduce the overall volume of lost water.
A key message to the industry that is an outcome from this work, is that percentages are a poor method of measuring losses when used to measure progress, or as comparisons to other similar utilities. An emphasis has been placed on having accurate data regarding flow measurement into water distribution networks, and water pressure variance. These are key factors to be known in order to identify where most leakage is, and to understand where leaks can be found and how leaks can be stopped from