IMC-2018 Learning Zone 40:12
by Andy Yang, San Jose Water
San Jose Water (SJW) provides exceptional water and service to over 1 million people in the Silicon Valley and greater San Jose metropolitan area, and maintains 2,400 miles of pipe, 240 booster pumps, 100 wells, 120 tanks and reservoirs, and 3 water treatment plants. Included in the water system are 20,000 fire hydrants, 34,000 valves, and 240,000 meters among many other assets. Due to regulatory requirements, system expansion, and the implementation of numerous technologies, the number of assets in SJW's distribution system and amount of data being collected has increased exponentially over the last decade, making asset management increasingly challenging. In order to improve performance, lower cost, and decrease risk, SJW determined it needed to launch a comprehensive asset management program, which requires alignment across all departments and collaboration toward a unified goal. In this session, SJW will present on its progress, successes, and challenges of various aspects of its asset management journey. Topics discussed will include the development and implementation of its asset management policy and overall strategy, levels of service metrics, risk framework, and sophisticated pipeline and valve criticality analyses. Other asset management initiatives such as preventive maintenance optimization, predictive maintenance technology piloting, and resource reallocation will also be discussed. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, SJW's culture and employee sentiment regarding asset management practices, interdepartmental alignment, and continuous improvement will be discussed in the presentation.