A review of water quality factors in water main failure prediction models

Abstract

Water main failure can result from structural failure of the pipes, changes in water quality, or a combination. This paper is a review of articles evaluating water quality factors and subfactors in the development of water main failure prediction models since 2000. A systematic process was implemented to capture the most relevant current published papers. Of 4598 published papers, 304 were screened for water main failure prediction models. The resulting set was further screened for water quality factors and subfactors (e.g., pH, temperature, etc.). This led to the identification of 18 relevant research papers, and each of these was reviewed comprehensively. The water quality-related findings, as well as combinations with other information – such as type of prediction model and type of prediction – are summarized and discussed.

Risk-Based Inspection and Rehabilitation Planning of Service Connections in Intermittent Water Supply Systems for Leakage Management in Arid Regions

“…Scale formation on the walls of plastic pipes due to precipitation of calcium carbonate was reported in a recent study in Algeria [39], which further leads to corrosion and finally structural failure [40]. pH represents the aggressiveness of water, which primarily causes wall leaching and deterioration in cement and metal pipes [18]. Therefore, pH can also cause corrosion of metal fittings on plastic pipes used for the SC in the study area.…”

“…The common causes of plastic pipe failure include leaks of brass connectors (if used instead of plastic at junctions), the existence of sharp rocks in backfill material, manufacturing defects, detrimental traffic loading due to improper bedding or shallow trench depth, pipe freezing, poor jointing due to the use of inadequate gluing procedures (e.g., insufficient humidity and ignoring manufacturer's specifications), overheating during jointing, water hammer due to pressure variations (particularly in IWS), and insufficient tightening or inaccurate positioning of a service connection (see details in the subsequent section) [17]. In addition, the corrosion of metal fittings used at SCs on plastic pipes can also lead to structural failure and leakage problems [18].…”