In these days of fiscal frugality, utilities struggle to get financial resources for pipeline rehabilitation.  Once resources are dedicated, it is critical that they achieve the “best” results possible based on multiple objectives and criteria.  These criteria reflect the often competing interests of different utility departments (e.g., planning, engineering, operations and maintenance), and they must consider the expectations of the utilities’ customers and outside stakeholders, including the business community, regulatory officials, and environmental groups.  Add politics and the media to this scenario, and the decision-making process becomes complex.

This online course presents a method of developing, applying, and defending a decision-making process that is technically sound, that is practical to apply, and that reflects the values and objectives of stakeholders both within and outside of the utility.  The method sets rehabilitation priorities based on available information related to condition (probability of failure) and criticality (consequences of failure) criteria that are developed and weighted through a stakeholder’s involvement process.  The results provide a framework for setting priorities for immediate rehabilitation action items as well as priorities for collecting additional information in areas where it is needed to support better decisions.

Portions of this course were taken from the American Council of Engineering Companies and Professional Engineers of North Carolina 2008 Joint Summer Conference.

Contact Hours:

4 Professional Development Hours (PDH)

NC State University is certified by the North Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NCBELS) and ABET as a provider of PDH Continuing Education Units.

Duration:

Four (4) contact hours represents the estimated time to complete the online course, including exercises.  However, actual times may vary from user to user.

Topics:

• Setting pipeline rehabilitation priorities
• Using condition and criticality criteria
• Combining factors for a single condition or criticality rating
• Sanitary sewer condition assessment project
• Rehabilitation and monitoring approach to pipelines

Instructor:

Wayne Miles, PE: Vice President of CDM Raleigh, is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and is Board Certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.  His expertise includes infrastructure planning and management, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, financial analysis, and infrastructure rehabilitation design and construction.

Availability:

This e-Learning course is available online, 24/7.

Upon approval of your purchase and successful check-out, you will be securely linked to this online course.  You will then have three (3) months to complete this course to earn your professional development hours.