ABSTRACT
Beneath North America’s roads, lie miles of pipe that brings purified water to homes and carry away wastewater (sewage and storm water). For the most parts, these systems have been functioning longer than their intended design life, with little or no repair. They are in a state of deterioration. Neglecting regular maintenance of these underground utilities adds to life-cycle costs and liabilities, and in extreme cases causes stoppage or reduction of vital services. A systematic approach for the determination of deterioration of pipeline systems and an integrated management system are necessary to fully understand the complete status of this underground pipeline system. This paper discusses the major aspects of integrated management for municipal pipeline systems, namely, condition assessment technologies for underground pipelines, development of an automated pipeline inspection system, and pipeline deterioration prediction methodology. The integrated pipeline management system is necessary to ensure that critical pipeline sections are repaired or replaced before they fail.
