Introduction to No-Dig Technologies and the ISTT
The IWA and ISTT, the International Society for Trenchless Technology are developing joint collaboration and this webinar is a first opportunity to explain ISTT and Trenchless Technologies to IWA members.
International Society for Trenchless Technology
Starts
Jan 28, 2026
Language
EnglishDuration:60 minutes
Start Time:
14:00 GMTFormat
OnlineMember fee: 00.00
Standard fee: 00.00
Description
The IWA and ISTT, the International Society for Trenchless Technology are developing joint collaboration and this webinar is a first opportunity to explain ISTT and Trenchless Technologies to IWA members.
Trenchless Technologies involves the ‘no-dig’ inspection, installation or rehabilitation (replacement, renovation, or repair) of underground utilities with minimum excavation and surface disruption. As such their application has the potential to reduce disruption for the public, businesses and traffic, and for utilities to reduce project complaints, timescales, carbon footprint and costs. Trenchless technologies have been used successfully for all underground utilities, from water, sewer, gas, and industrial pipelines to electrical conduit and fiber optics.
This presentation will explain the range of technologies that are in the scope of ‘Trenchless’ and the resources available from ISTT to raise awareness and explain their details.
Target Audience
Of interest to all the groups listed below
i.e. practitioners, academics and researchers, utilities, students, engineers, etc…
Learning Objectives
Following this session, participants will have a greater understanding of the scope of technologies that facilitate trenchless, no-dig, solutions to the inspection, repair and rehabilitation of existing underground assets, for the laying of new utilities and for site investigation. They will also have a better understanding of the role of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) and its relationship with IWA.
Learning Format
Related IWA Specialist Groups
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
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.