Rehabilitation of water distribution networks: when and how to rehabilitate

In this paper, a deterioration model is created and used to simulate the life cycle of a water distribution network (WDN). Then, two strategies – leakage fixing and pipe cleaning – are evaluated to rehabilitate its capacity to attend the demand. In order to implement the deterioration model, the following parameters were considered: growth of the consumer population, increase in leakage rate, functional pipe deterioration and reduction of the hydraulic capacity of the pumps. For the leakage fixing, a fixed reduction rate in water losses was considered throughout the entire WDN until a minimum reference value was reached. For pipe rehabilitation, leaning was considered at a rate of 1% of the total length of the network per year. In each of the rehabilitation strategies, a cost–benefit analysis was carried out using the net present value. The results showed that both alternatives can restore the capacity of the WDN, with the pipe cleaning presenting a better economic impact. HIGHLIGHTS This study presents a methodology to understand the impact that the deterioration of a water distribution network (WDN) has on its operation.; This study brings an estimate of the time when a WDN should be rehabilitated as it deteriorates throughout its useful life.; This study presents two ways to rehabilitate a WDN and the economic impact of each of these implemented measures.;