Municipal infrastructures such as water mains are at risk because they have been underground, unchecked, for decades, according to Solomon Tesfamariam, an associate professor of civil engineering at UBC’s Okanagan campus.
Many small municipalities in B.C. don’t have the resources to routinely monitor these systems, so they can only react when a system fails and residents are left without service.
Tesfamariam and fellow UBC professor Rehan Sadiq have developed a computer program that will act as a decision support tool for municipal staff responsible for planning infrastructure repairs or estimating longevity. It is now being tested by the Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District and the District of West Kelowna. Five UBC graduate students are working with municipal staff to assess the overall condition of underground water mains in the districts.
Further research may expand use into the oil and gas pipeline industry.
