WATER DELIVERY:A WATER UTILITY company in the UK has improved the efficiency of its pipe repair operations using innovative risk analysis software developed by Palisade, a leading US company.

It means Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water (BWHW) can make more informed decisions about where to replace pipes that, were they to burst, would have the most significant impact on its customers and the direct costs incurred by the company.

The software combines the probability of pipe failures across the region with the consequential benefits of pipes not failing in the future.

To measure the likelihood of pipe failure, the software requires information on everything from the age of existing infrastructure, the materials used to construct the pipes and their size, the type of ground in which they are buriedand weather patterns that might affect them, such as temperature and rainfall.

Data gathered on the consequences of pipe failure included lack of water or loss of pressure, as well as the location of hospitals and other key users, which would make a region a high priority.

BWHW provides water to about half a million people in an area of more than 1,000sq km, through almost 3,000km of water mains.