The Erie County Water Authority (ECWA) provides drinking water to more than 550,000 people in western New York. To support long-term water distribution system reliability, ECWA partnered with infraPLAN and B&N to enhance its watermain replacement and asset management programs through advanced risk modeling and predictive analytics.
Using utility-specific GIS data and 15 years of break history, the infraPLAN-B&N team applied the AI-powered infraSOFT® tool to estimate failure probabilities for every pipe in the system. The team performed extensive data quality checks, monetized the consequences of pipe failures and developed granular risk values to prioritize proactive replacements and maximize the effectiveness of ECWA’s investments.
Key B&N project activities included:
- Simulating breaks across the entire distribution system to evaluate the hydraulic impacts, such as water service interruption and pressure drops to critical and large users like medical and educational facilities, manufacturers, airports and prisons.
- Quantifying the criticality of every pipe based on its proximity to spatial features like roadways, structures, water bodies and railroads.
- Developing consequence of failure (COF) scores and monetized risk costs for each pipe.
- Estimating the replacement cost of each pipe.
- Supporting the evaluation of pipe failure likelihood by providing key GIS data on soil properties and other features that can impact break rate.
By combining infraPLAN’s advanced analytical break prediction and practical planning tools with B&N's advanced monetized COF tool, the project provided ECWA with a clear roadmap for prioritizing investments, strengthening asset management and maintaining reliable, cost-effective water service for its customers.