Findings from a two-year research project focusing
on current water industry practices suggest that
condition assessment often is undertaken in an ad
hoc manner. This article seeks to place the use of
condition assessment within the context of emerging
asset management principles. To this end, the
authors provide definitions of asset management,
asset condition, and condition assessment, along
with summary findings from a web-based survey,
literature review, and case studies used to investigate
current practices. A conceptual framework is introduced
that aligns condition assessment with asset
management principles via a performance monitoring
system based on service levels.
Formalized asset management is increasingly being
put forward as a solution to the challenge of aging
infrastructure. Measuring the service provided by the
utility and using this parameter to decide when and
where to spend limited funds will help water managers
move from an ad hoc approach to condition assessment
to a better alignment of condition assessment
within their asset management programs. Includes 27 references, tables, figures.