Chapter 9: Operation, Maintenance and Performance

Water distribution systems develop in piecemeal fashion around available sources to meet customer demands and public health requirements. While the infrastructure from inception by the Romans rarely remains, most UK systems readily date back to the Victorian era. Driven by different needs over the years, each system has been built from a variety of materials, using different design and construction techniques and a whole host of piecemeal layouts. In addition, little focus was given to the individual source water quality characteristics of the water they conveyed or of the treatment process, which was often poor. As a consequence, such poor quality water has caused the system materials to deteriorate at different rates by way of a number of physical chemical and biological mechanisms. This fragmentary development, system complexity and asset deterioration in the face of a changing consumer base and environmental conditions are the primary causes of many of the current operational, maintenance and performance challenges that face the water industry today.