Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)
Pipe Diameter: 42” to 201”
Pipe Type: PCCP
Distance Inspected: 163 miles + Re-inspection
Service: Remote Field Transformer Coupling (RFTC)
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) is a consortium of 26 cities and water districts that provide drinking water to nearly 17 million people in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. As the USA’s largest utility, MWD delivers an average of 1.7 billion gallons of water per day to a 5,200-square-mile service area.
MWD Pipeline system was constructed over several decades; its system is comprised of pipe from several different manufacturers, in various classes, with varying diameters. In response, and in keeping with its reputation as one of the world’s most proactive utilities, MWD established an Infrastructure Reliability Program with a mandate to maintain the integrity of this complex system.
Part of this program included PCCP condition assessment. In order to obtain the best possible information, MWD established a long-term contractual agreement with the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC). PPIC, in turn, has provided MWD with an accurate evaluation of 99.9% of the PCCP within its system by using its Remote Field Transformer Coupling (RFTC) technology to pinpoint wire breaks in individual pipes.
The results from PPIC supported previously reported pipeline level data taken from corrosion monitoring and soil potential studies. This pipe level data allowed MWD to fully exploit these diverse data sets. The team has utilized the wire-break data provided by PPIC to enact a prioritized, and selective, pipeline rehabilitation program that targets individual pipes within the most suspect pipelines.
As a result, the integrity of this complex water transmission system has been upheld. By utilizing the condition assessment information provided by PPIC, MWD has been able to upgrade the condition of its pipeline assets without a dramatic budget increase.