Designing a framework to guide renewal engineering decision-making for water and wastewater pipelines

Federal, state and private organizations have an urgent need for renewal of water and wastewater pipelines. A pertinent gap remains in understanding the relationship between deteriorated host-pipe conditions and renewal products cost and performance. This work provides a framework Decision-Support System that supports water and wastewater pipeline renewal-products. Various renewal products fit utility needs, and the optimization of this process streamlines the decision-making for renewal product selection. The Thesis has classified various factors for use in the renewal product decision-making process, and it provides the justification for use of the renewal decision-making factors in recommending a product. Pipeline problem definition, system causes, system requirements and renewal product characteristics are the key decision-making areas controlling the recommendation of a renewal product. The Decision-Support System framework is developed in a user-friendly Visual Basic forms, using Microsoft tools and evaluated for vendor information. The given framework allows the user to edit product information needs, factors affecting decision-making and the classification of each factor. This allows for ease in modification, utilization and collaborative understanding. The prototype framework An online hosting of the proposed framework will improve accessibility and validity of the renewal decision-making process.