Water infrastructure asset management is under pressure as ageing networks, limited condition data, and tight budgets push utilities and councils to the edge.
Without reliable insights into asset condition, many water mains and sewer systems are either replaced too early or fail without warning, costing time, money, public trust and causing frustrating disruption to customers’ lives.
With the right tools and data, asset managers can transition from a reactive to a strategic approach.
This blog outlines how modern asset assessment methods help reduce failure risk, extend asset life, and improve investment decisions.
Why Water Infrastructure Asset Management Matters
Australia and New Zealand cities and towns face mounting pressure from ageing water infrastructure. Many water mains, sewer pipes, and pumping assets are decades old, with some dating back more than 100 years and nearing the end of their serviceable life.
Without structured asset management, failures can disrupt water supply, affect service levels, increase repair costs, and erode community trust. Proactive maintenance also plays a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience, enabling networks to withstand droughts, floods, and temperature extremes.
ISO 55000 provides a global benchmark for managing physical assets. In New Zealand, frameworks like “Local Water Done Well” reinforce the need for evidence-based decisions and accountability across the water sector.
Asset planning is no longer optional. It is essential for reducing failure risk, extending asset life, and making the most of limited budgets.
Key Challenges in Water Infrastructure Asset Management
Asset visibility remains a core challenge, particularly for legacy buried infrastructure where inspection history is limited or non-existent. In many networks, condition data for high-risk assets, such as AC water mains, cast iron sections, and sewer rising mains, is sparse or outdated. This fact is further evidenced by the fact that >70% of a water utilities assets, their pipelines, are buried out of sight.
Reactive maintenance remains common, often triggered by visible failures or community complaints. This approach increases operational risk and limits long-term planning, especially as asset age and failure likelihood continue to rise.
Utilities are also under budget pressure. Capital works programs must stretch further while addressing growing renewal backlogs. Without reliable condition data, it becomes difficult to justify investment, defer non-urgent renewals, or optimise intervention timing.
Identifying critical assets and assessing their remaining serviceability is essential for prioritised, risk-based asset planning.
Modern Tools for Water Infrastructure Asset Management
Advancements in field technologies are providing utilities with more accurate, non-invasive methods to assess asset condition and operational risk. Tools like AquaSphere allow for free-swimming leak and gas pocket detection in live water pipelines or sewer rising mains, offering high-resolution data without service disruption.
High-speed pressure transient monitoring reveals hydraulic events that accelerate pipe fatigue. These insights help asset owners identify pressure management issues and plan calming interventions that extend asset life.
External condition assessment tools, such as the PipeScanner, measure wall thickness and detect corrosion through magnetic or ultrasonic techniques in specific sections. This allows for precise degradation mapping on metallic pipelines.
Decision support systems like AquaNRW integrate field data, pressure analytics, and leakage insights into a single platform. This helps asset planners move from reactive to predictive maintenance by linking condition data to renewal planning and performance outcomes.
Integrating Condition Data into Asset Management Plans
Collecting condition data is only valuable if it informs planning decisions. Utilities need clear processes to translate field insights into actionable investment strategies.
By linking condition assessment results to asset registers, planners can estimate remaining useful life (RUL), identify renewal priorities, and defer non-critical works. This enables a shift from age-based renewal models to risk- and condition-based planning.
Capital forecasting improves when GIS, engineering, and asset management teams work from shared data. Integrated systems allow asset condition, failure likelihood, and consequence ratings to be visualised and acted upon in a coordinated way.
Condition-informed asset planning reduces guesswork, supports regulatory compliance, and helps utilities justify funding decisions with evidence.
Aqua Analytics Case Study: Optimising Pipeline Renewal through Condition Assessment
One of the key challenges in managing ageing water infrastructure is identifying the root causes of frequent failures. This was the case for a water utility managing a critical pipeline in a region where the pipes had been in service for over 100 years.
The mix of Cast Iron Cement-Lined (CICL) and Ductile Iron Cement-Lined (DICL) pipes had become prone to leaks, breaks, and service disruptions, making it difficult to maintain a reliable water supply.
The utility engaged Aqua Analytics to conduct a non-invasive pipeline condition assessment using our advanced KenWave Dynamic Response Imaging™ (DRI) technology. This cutting-edge acoustic technology allowed us to assess pipeline integrity without excavation or disrupting service.
By applying our comprehensive approach, including a detailed site visit, acoustic data collection, and analysis using proprietary algorithms, we accurately identified areas of reduced wall thickness, corrosion, and structural weaknesses that were contributing to the failures.
With these insights, the utility was able to prioritise repairs based on the most critical issues, thus reducing future failures and extending the pipeline’s service life. The proactive approach not only minimised disruptions but also provided the utility with actionable data that improved their long-term asset management strategy.
Learn more about how we optimised pipeline renewal through condition assessment and helped the utility proactively manage its ageing infrastructure.
The Future of Water Asset Management
The next phase of asset management will be shaped by data integration, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring. Digital twins are gaining traction as a way to centralise asset data, simulate performance, and support scenario planning across entire networks.
AI and machine learning models are being trained to predict asset failures based on historical condition data, operational inputs, and environmental factors. These tools can flag emerging risks and help prioritise inspections before failures occur.
But advanced technology still relies on accurate field data. Tools like AquaNRW, AquaSphere and PipeScanner remain essential for validating assumptions and feeding models with real-world inputs.
Human expertise is also critical, particularly for interpreting results, refining risk models, and making planning decisions that balance technical, financial, and regulatory constraints.
Smart water networks will not replace asset managers or specialist water network technicians, but enable them to make faster, better decisions grounded in evidence.
Ready to Strengthen Your Water Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy?
Proactive water infrastructure asset management helps utilities reduce failure risk, optimise renewal timing, and deliver better outcomes for communities. When condition data is collected systematically and applied through integrated planning, it supports long-term resilience and more efficient capital investment.
Aqua Analytics works with councils and utilities across Australia and New Zealand to assess critical assets, extend service life, and inform data-driven planning.
If you’re ready to reduce unplanned failures, defer unnecessary renewals, and gain clearer insights into your network’s condition, contact us to discuss an asset assessment program that fits your goals and budget.
