Water Innovation of the Month: Mitigate risk in water main infrastructure

How Predictive Modeling Sets the New Standard for Water Main Management

Did you know that North American water systems see 710 water main breaks a day, totaling $2.6 billion in annual repair costs? With 20% of existing water mains already beyond their useful life, water systems face immense pressure to find cost-effective ways to manage risk in order to ensure water safety, minimize water loss, maintain affordable customer rates, and reduce public disruption.

Standard methods of desktop assessment such as weighted models are limited in their ability to assess how multiple factors, such as soil type and weather, interact to influence a water main’s risk of failure. And IoT solutions are expensive and complicated, keeping adoption low and making them unrealistic to implement across an entire system.

So what’s the smarter solution?

BlueConduit’s Water Main Predictions tool sets the new standard for risk assessment and water main management, using AI and predictive modeling to provide the most accurate, cost-effective risk assessment available. This cutting-edge tool enables water systems and engineering firms to proactively identify and reduce risk, optimize capital improvement plans, and secure funding for the most essential projects. Here’s how BlueConduit helps you get ahead of risk:

A Dynamic View of Existing Data

Most utilities possess vast amounts of historical data, but often struggle to aggregate and leverage it for effective decision-making. BlueConduit’s tool integrates this data into a unified model, identifying key factors influencing likelihood of failure (LoF) and risk specific to each system. This dynamic approach goes beyond static analyses, providing a real-time snapshot of risk based on the most up-to-date information. You can engage with these dynamic analytics directly into Esri, where they are always up-to-date.

AI-Powered Predictions to Pinpoint Key Areas of Risk

Traditional desktop and condition assessment models struggle to capture complex, non-linear relationships between variables that contribute to water main failure. BlueConduit’s machine learning models excel at uncovering hidden patterns to create data-driven, defensible maintenance and capital improvement plans (CIPs). By combining your data with additional datasets such as weather, soil, and parcel data, the tool generates a comprehensive risk assessment. This detailed analysis allows for the ranking of water mains from highest to lowest risk, enabling targeted resource allocation for maintenance and replacement.

Simple Explainability and Trust in Performance

Transparency is paramount when using AI-driven tools. BlueConduit’s Water Main Predictions tool provides clear, accessible explanations for each prediction. This explainability fosters trust in the data and empowers water system leaders to understand and explain the underlying factors driving risk across their system.

Additionally, model performance is validated through time shift studies, comparing predictions to actual break outcomes. As water system operators retire, and their store of historical knowledge goes with them, BlueConduit’s tool supports knowledge transfer and ensures future leaders are set-up with the data and insights needed to make critical system decisions.

Proactive Planning and Resource Optimization

The Water Main Predictions tool facilitates proactive maintenance and replacement programs. By providing likelihood of failure predictions for every water main across multiple time scales, the tool accounts for seasonality and other dynamic changes in risk. This allows water system operators to prioritize projects based on data, not guesswork. By focusing on the highest-risk areas, resources can be used more efficiently, reducing reactive costs and the disruption of responding to frequent failures.

Support for Funding and Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs)

By enabling a clear understanding of risk and providing data-driven plans, BlueConduit’s tool can help secure funding for essential capital improvement projects. The ability to demonstrate a proactive, defensible plan based on data allows water system operators to communicate their needs to stakeholders effectively.

AI for maximum impact

AI brings you the power of 10,000 people to help you better manage complex critical questions and decisions. BlueConduit’s AI and predictive modeling tools are built by expert Data Scientists to ensure accuracy, explainability, and prediction quality. Shifting to a new normal requires trust in both your tools and results. With BlueConduit, you’re getting access to academic-caliber Data Science tools, built in consultation with expert data scientists and water system experts like yourself. When you win, we win.

BlueConduit’s Water Main Predictions tool is a game-changer for water utilities seeking to move beyond reactive maintenance. By leveraging the power of data and machine learning, you can proactively manage risk, optimize capital improvement plans, and ensure the long-term health of your water infrastructure.

Ready to learn more about how BlueConduit can help? Visit our website or contact us today for a consultation.

 

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