In the pursuit of optimising infrastructure management and ensuring the reliability of its water supply network, a leading water utility in Australia had initiated a comprehensive pipeline rehabilitation and replacement project on what it described as “one of the most critical assets in its entire water network.” This approach, while straightforward, often leads to unnecessary expenditures and disruptions, as entire pipeline segments are replaced regardless of their actual co

From Crisis to Control The client, a prominent mining company in Australia, had embarked on a critical infrastructure management initiative to assess the condition of their extensive water pipeline network. Historically, the client's approach to maintaining their ageing water pipelines involved systematic and routine excavations and replacements, based primarily on the water pipelines' age. This traditional method, while straightforward, proved to be inefficient and extremely

In the water industry, the underground network is often a realm of the unknown. For decades, utilities worldwide have relied on age-based models to determine when to replace critical infrastructure. The logic was simple: if a pipe is old, it must be deteriorating. However, this approach is both capital-inefficient and risky. It often leads to the premature disposal of assets that still have decades of useful life, or conversely, misses newer assets that are failing rapidly du