&EPA
 www.epa.gov
           AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
           RESEARCH PROGRAM
   Addressing the Challenge
   Through  INNOVATION
   Office of Research and Development
   National Risk Management Research Laboratory

-------
&EPA
AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
RESEARCH  PROGRAM
          "Our nation's extensive water infrastructure has the capacity to
   treat, store, and transport trillions of gallons of water and wastewater
           per  day through millions of miles of pipelines. However, as our
      infrastructure deteriorates, there are  increasing concerns about the
            ability of this  infrastructure to keep up with our future needs.
        As part of our effort to address these concerns . . .  ORD initiated
          a new water  infrastructure  research program. This  program will
    generate the science and engineering  needed to evaluate promising,
         innovative technologies to repair existing and provide new water
          infrastructure, and that improve effectiveness at reduced cost."
                                                                Statement of George Gray, Ph.D.
                                                                      Assistant Administrator
                                                        Office of Research and Development (ORD)
                                                      United States Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                          March 14, 2007
     Drinking Water Distribution Systems
      • There are 240,000 water main breaks per year in the
        United States.
      • The number of breaks increases substantially near the
        end of the system's service life.
          - Large utility breaks in the Midwest increased
            from 250 per year to 2,200 per year during a
            19-year period.
          - In 2003, Baltimore, Maryland, reported 1,190
            water main breaks—that's more than three per day.
      • A 2005 British study correlated self-reported diarrhea
        with low water-pressure events (including water main
        breaks).
      • The U.S.  Geological Survey estimates that water lost
        from water distribution systems is 1.7 trillion gallons
        per year at a national cost  of $2.6 billion per year.
                          Wastewater Collection Systems
                            • There are up to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows per
                             year in the United States, resulting in the discharge of
                             3-10 billion gallons of untreated wastewater.
                            • Up to 3,700 illnesses annually are due to exposure
                             to recreational water contaminated by sanitary sewer
                             overflows.
                            • In 1989, sanitary sewer overflows in Cabool, Missouri,
                             contaminated drinking water distribution lines,
                             causing 243 cases of diarrhea and 4 deaths.
                            • In 1993, direct contact with a discharge of untreated
                             sewage in Ocoee, Florida, resulted in 39 cases of
                             hepatitis A.
     Office of Research and Development
     National Risk Management Research Laboratory

-------
The Aging Water Infrastructure (AWI) research program
is part of EPA's larger effort called the Sustainable
Water Infrastructure (SI) initiative. The SI initiative
brings together drinking water and wastewater
utility managers; trade associations; local watershed
protection organizations; and federal, state, and local
officials to ensure that all components of our nation's
water infrastructure—drinking water treatment  plants,
drinking water distribution lines, sewer lines, and
storage facilities—meet future needs.

The AWI research program supports the four priority
areas of the SI  initiative's strategy:
  •  Better management - Moving beyond compliance
     to sustainability and improved performance
  •  Full-cost pricing - Helping utilities to recognize the
     full cost of providing service over the long term
  •  Water efficiency - Promoting water efficiency in
     the residential and commercial sectors
  •  The watershed approach - Integrating watershed
     management principles and  tools into utility
     planning and  management practices
..	]
The Gap Analysis

A driving force behind the SI initiative and the AWI research
program is the "Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure
Gap Analysis." In this report, EPA estimated that if operation,
maintenance, and capital  investment remain at current
levels, the potential funding shortage for drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure could exceed $500 billion by
2020. This funding gap could  narrow with the application of
innovative technologies and management practices.

Top Priority

A sustainable water infrastructure is among the top four
priorities of EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson for
these reasons:
   •  Our drinking water and wastewater systems are aging.
     Some components are more than 100 years old.
   •  The U.S. population is increasing and shifting
     geographically. This requires investment  in  new
     infrastructure for growth areas.
   •  Current treatment may not  be sufficient to
     address emerging issues and changing regulatory
     requirements.

The Research Program

The AWI research program has identified the critical  research
needs related to our aging drinking water and wastewater
infrastructure. EPA will work with  collaborators and
stakeholders to conduct technology research, development,
and demonstration projects to  fill  the identified research
gaps. Research projects will fall into four main  areas:

Condition Assessment To assess  the condition of a drinking
water distribution or wastewater collection system, data
and information are gathered through observation, direct
inspection, investigation,  and  indirect monitoring and
reporting. An analysis  of the data and information helps
determine the structural,  operational, and performance
status of capital infrastructure assets. Condition assessment
also  includes failure analysis to determine the causes of
infrastructure failures and to develop  ways to prevent future
breakdowns. Condition assessment enhances the ability
of utilities to make technically sound  judgments regarding
asset management.

System  Rehabilitation System rehabilitation is the
application of infrastructure repair, renewal, and replacement
technologies in  order to reinstate functionality in a drinking
water or wastewater system or  subsystem. The proper

-------
balance of the repair, renewal, and replacement depends
on the condition assessment, the life-cycle costs of various
rehabilitation options, and the related risk reductions.

Advanced Concepts Developing advanced concepts relates
to the application of innovative infrastructure designs,
management procedures, and operational approaches. The
infusion of these advanced concepts into an established
system is especially challenging; for example, the  innovative
concept could be a retrofit solution, but compatibility
with the in-place system is critical.  Advanced concepts
go beyond asset management to include maximizing the
benefits from low-impact development, water reuse, source
water protection, and watershed management.

Innovative Treatment Technologies for Wastewater and
Water Reuse These technologies address the dynamic
requirements for improved water quality and the growing
demand for safe and reliable reclaimed wastewater and
storm water. For example, wet-weather flows at water
treatment plants must be managed more effectively in
order to reduce  pathogen content. And  there are new
challenges relating to the capability of Pharmaceuticals and
personal care products to interfere  with, and even inhibit,
the wastewater treatment process. Controlling nitrogen and
phosphorous is a growing priority, especially in the basins
that drain into the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, and
the Chesapeake Bay. In Florida, California, and the arid
Southwest, the use of reclaimed wastewater and storm
water is rapidly  increasing. There is accelerated demand
for wastewater treatment technologies to be more energy
efficient and to  produce smaller volumes of residuals.

Projects under the AWI research program include
technology demonstrations; state-of-the-technology
assessments; applied research; field applications; basic
research; and bench-scale, pilot-scale, and controlled-
condition testing.  The projects  will focus on:
    • Optimizing repair, rehabilitation, and replacement
    • Extending  the service life  of installed  drinking water
     and  wastewater system components
    1 Reducing system failures  and their adverse effects
     on public health and the environment
    • Reducing sewer overflows  and backups
    • Evaluating the performance and cost of innovative
     technologies and approaches
    • Investigating advanced system design and
     management concepts

   •  Detecting, locating, and characterizing leaks in drinking
     water distribution and wastewater collection systems
   •  Designing systems with a green infrastructure and
     low-impact development components to attenuate
     wastewater flows
   •  Reducing high-risk water main and force main  breaks

A  Sustainable Water Infrastructure Tomorrow
Means Fundamental Change Today

The AWI research program is bringing about that change.
Using the program's technical strength and unbiased
information, EPA is helping reduce the cost and improve
the effectiveness of our aging—and failing—drinking
water and wastewater treatment and conveyance
systems. Existing technologies need to be applied
in  unconventional ways. Emerging technologies and
innovative thinking will be at the forefront of  creating .
powerful, secure, and reliable water infrastructure.

Outcomes

Near-term  outcomes will be technology reports on
condition assessment (inspection technologies),
rehabilitation (service laterals, liners), and advanced
system designs. In the long term, guidance documents
will be developed on  asset management, real-time
monitoring, new materials, verification and  demonstration
of  innovative technologies, and sustainable management
and design approaches.

-------
I    £ . 1   W-  St.-?  • -•
    '  ---

   *£*,•'. '•
S^i-"—'    "- *•   --

-------
&EPA
  www.epa.gov
                        AGING  WATER  INFRASTRUCTURE
                        RESEARCH  PROGRAM
                                                                             EPA/600/F-07/015 I September 2007 I www.epa.gov
    The Door Is Open for Collaboration

    EPA, whose primary role is that of advocate for a sustainable water
    infrastructure, is only one partner in this effort. The AWI research
    program presents opportunities for utilities, vendors, researchers,
    academics, water associations (trade and professional), and other
    agencies and organizations to collaborate.  In  fact, the success of the
    program depends on stakeholder involvement, sharing  information
    and tools, and working together toward the long-term stewardship
    of our water infrastructure.
                                                                             EPA INVITES YOU TO PARTICIPATE BY
                                                                             CONTACTING:
Daniel J. Murray, Jr., P.E.
Senior Environmental Engineer
Aging Water Infrastructure Research Program
513-569-7522 • murrav.dan@epa.sov
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
                                                                                    Recycled/Recyclable
                                                                                    Printed with vegetable-based ink on
                                                                                    paper that contains a minimum of
                                                                                    50% post-consumer fiber content
                                                                                    processed chlorine free
          United States
          Environmental Protection
          Agency
           PRESORTED STANDARD
           POSTAGE & FEES PAID
                   EPA
             PERMIT  NO. G-35
         Office of Research and Development
         National Risk Management Research Laboratory
         Cincinnati, OH 45268

         Official Business
         Penalty for Private Use
         $300

-------