Anticipating and adapting to increases in water distribution infrastructure failure caused by interdependencies and heat exposure from climate change

Description
This dissertation advances the capability of water infrastructure utilities to anticipate and adapt to vulnerabilities in their systems from temperature increase and interdependencies with other infrastructure systems. Impact assessment models of increased heat and interdependencies were developed which incorporate probability,

This dissertation advances the capability of water infrastructure utilities to anticipate and adapt to vulnerabilities in their systems from temperature increase and interdependencies with other infrastructure systems. Impact assessment models of increased heat and interdependencies were developed which incorporate probability, spatial, temporal, and operational information. Key findings from the models are that with increased heat the increased likelihood of water quality non-compliances is particularly concerning, the anticipated increases in different hardware components generate different levels of concern starting with iron pipes, then pumps, and then PVC pipes, the effects of temperature increase on hardware components and on service losses are non-linear due to spatial criticality of components, and that modeling spatial and operational complexity helps to identify potential pathways of failure propagation between infrastructure systems. Exploring different parameters of the models allowed for comparison of institutional strategies. Key findings are that either preventative maintenance or repair strategies can completely offset additional outages from increased temperatures though-- improved repair times reduce overall duration of outages more than preventative maintenance, and that coordinated strategies across utilities could be effective for mitigating vulnerability.

Details

Contributors
Date Created
2019
Resource Type
Language
  • eng
Note
  • thesis
    Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2019
  • bibliography
    Includes bibliographical references
  • Field of study: Civil engineering
Citation and reuse
Statement of Responsibility
by Emily Bondank
Additional Information
English
Extent
  • xi, 207 pages : collor illustrations, maps
Open Access
Peer-reviewed