The demand for sanitation infrastructures is increasing due to a rise in the urban population. To meet the need for wastewater collection, the construction of sewer networks must comply with a series of technical parameters that indicate whether a solution is feasible or not. Considering that this construction implies a series of environmental impacts, this study coupled a structural analysis of one linear metre of sewer constructive solutions with their life cycle impacts. Different pipe materials (concrete, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) were combined with different trench designs and their environmental performance was assessed using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). These solutions complied with technical parameters consisting of traffic loads and pavement conditions, among others. Concrete pipes embedded in granular matter result in fewer environmental impacts, such as Global Warming Moreover, the environmental impacts of this solution are similar to those resulting from the substitution of pipes that do not comply with the mechanical requirements of the construction site. Therefore, proper planning is needed to provide cities with sewers that are resilient to time and external loads and reduce the urban environmental impacts.

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This paper presents a consistent and transparent methodology for the prioritization of the pipeline sections to be renewed among the whole Aigües de Barcelona urban water network. The Prioritization Index for Pipeline Renewal (PIPR) serves to evaluate the risk impact, in terms of sustainability, of each section of pipeline in the water distribution network, for the purpose of its eventual renewal. Thus, the sections with higher prioritization indices should be proposed as the first to be renewed. This methodology represents a meaningful step towards a sustainable and reliable management of water assets. Different economic, environmental and social aspects were considered through a probabilistic multicriteria decision framework and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to conciliate all stakeholder interests. The case study conducted for Aigües de Barcelona, a Spanish utility company dedicated to services, distribution and treatment of water, is presented in this article, showing how this method performs accurate, consistent, and repeatable evaluations.