Date
Monday, September 9, 2024
Time
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Location Name
KICC M111 ( Level 1)
Name
Navigating the Waters of Loudon Utilities’ Water Main Replacement Program
Track
Water Supply
Description

Loudon Utilities’ current water distribution system consists of cast-iron water mains installed in the 1930s, encompassing a total length of 233 miles. A combination of aging infrastructure, increased capacity requirements, and low-pressure areas sparked the need for the replacement of 213 miles of Loudon’s water distribution system. Replacing approximately 91 percent of a water distribution system that has not undergone a major project in over 50 years necessitated the creation of a multi-phase program plan to align the design team's strategy with the client's expectations. During the design of the initial project phase, the client brought two additional requests to the design team: a pavement replacement plan to address all impacted pavement in the project area and a comprehensive service line inventory to catalog all service lines to be investigated for lead or copper. Integrating the pavement replacement plan into the partially completed water main replacement design introduced technical and constructability challenges to the design team. The service line inventory necessitated the development and trouble shooting of a data collection software to efficiently collect and analyze the service line data. While neither the paving plan nor the service line inventory were initially scoped, both tasks aligned with the purpose of the program which was to improve the health and safety of Loudon’s customers through infrastructure improvements. The increased complexities ultimately led to a more community-focused final product for Loudon. The program places significant emphasis on data management for the water main replacement design and the service line inventory. Geographic information system (GIS) software has been heavily utilized. A geodatabase was developed containing information on existing utilities and has been leveraged to aid in deconfliction of the water main design throughout the project. In addition, an application within GIS was developed for collecting sanitary and storm data within the boundary of each phase. The service line inventory application harnessed GIS to geolocate service lines during data collection. The data collector recorded the service line material in the field with a smartphone. Individuals with access to the dashboard were able to see the collected data in real-time. The data collection software allowed users to analyze data, monitor the data collector's progress, and identify problematic locations easily. Effective, innovative data management has been crucial in the efficiency and effectiveness of the program. This presentation will detail an in-depth analysis of Loudon Utilities' program, encompassing its objectives, scope refinement, and data management techniques. This presentation demonstrates an everchanging program that requires constant reevaluation to ensure Loudon Utilities receives a deliverable of utmost quality.