We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Proportional Economic Analysis of Pipe Costs at a Water Utility.
- Authors
Singh, Amarjit; Adachi, Stacy
- Abstract
An economic analysis of pipe types--concrete cylinder, ductile iron, and PVC types--installed for a water utility was undertaken for data spanning 15 years. The major cost components considered were installation and repair and maintenance (R&M) costs, which, in themselves, cover all costs of pipe construction and operation. Actual costs were converted to constant 2002 dollars at a derived inflation rate, and the real dollar value subsequently calculated. The analysis was conducted on a per mile basis to ensure that costs are evaluated on a proportional basis; for installation costs, the length was the installed length each year, while for R&M costs the length was the length in ground. It was observed that installation costs were significantly higher than repair and maintenance costs, even though only a small percentage of new pipes are installed each year, while repair and maintenance involved one pipe break per day on average. The final results in real dollars revealed that concrete cylinder pipes are far more expensive to install and operate on a proportional basis than ductile iron or PVC. In addition, PVC was the least expensive to operate while fulfilling all necessary functions. This information is important for the water utility that is cost conscious and has a mandate to provide water to its residents and visitors at no profit. Hence it was recommended that new pipes installed should definitely exclude concrete cylinder, and preferably focus only on PVC pipes.
- Subjects
WATER utilities; WATER-pipe maintenance &; repair; COST analysis; INSTALLATION of equipment; DUCTILITY; PRICE inflation; CONCRETE construction
- Publication
Professional Constructor: The Journal of the American Institute of Constructors, 2013, Vol 37, Issue 1, p10
- ISSN
0146-7557
- Publication type
Article