The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) through the Aging Water Infrastructure (AWI) research program efforts and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), have teamed up to find the WATER Infrastructure DATABASE (WATERiD). WATERiD will help the nation address the challenges associated with the aging and deteriorating wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. WATERiD is unique in that it allows water utilities to share their “lessons learned” and thus avoid repeating mistakes. The national database will ensure a single point information center for utilities to find relevant information that will aid in decision-making for the selection of appropriate condition assessment and renewal engineering technologies.
Aging Infrastructure has been identified as a national need in recent years. “Having an expansive knowledge database for condition assessment and renewal technologies that can assist drinking water and wastewater entities to more effectively put comprehensive asset management into practice, and meet their Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, fits well with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long-standing research investment into managing our nation’s water infrastructure systems.” stated Thomas F. Speth, Ph.D., P.E., Director, Water Supply and Water Resources Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA Office of Research Development.
WATERiD is the national knowledge database from which water utilities and the rest of the water industry can gain access to information pertaining to the application of Condition Assessment, Renewal Engineering, and Management practices. Resources to assist with product qualification, cost information, and utility benchmarking are also being aggregated. Considerations regarding the use of such technologies to achieve resiliency and sustainability are being covered. The role of such technologies in achieving asset management goals and achieving the water infrastructure needs for people at the environment are explored. WATERiD is routinely leveraged by water utilities in their efforts to qualify products and services.