Asset Management Building Blocks - System-wide Lift Station Condition Assessment and Risk Profile Development

Purpose This presentation provides information regarding the City of Omaha's (City's) successful, stepwise approach applying asset management principles to operation and maintenance (O&M) of their wastewater collection system. The intended outcome is to transfer knowledge to the audience by sharing examples of how Omaha developed a plan and prioritized a practical implementation approach based on risk. Abstract The City owns, operates, and provides wastewater utility services to Omaha and surrounding communities via collection systems, 46 lift stations, and two water resource recovery facilities. Starting in 2018, the City conducted a Capacity Management Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) Gap Analysis for the wastewater collection system as a first step toward risk-based asset management. The City identified CMOM gaps, prioritized gap closure efforts, and is in the process of implementing recommendations for improvements -- adapting their thought and work processes along the way. One of the high priority areas identified for improvement was understanding the condition of lift station assets and tracking O&M activities and performance. In 2020, the City implemented foundational elements of asset management by including their assets in GIS and updating their computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to the current version of IBM Maximo. During this process, key City staff participated in workshops to establish an asset registry and hierarchy that was applied in IBM Maximo. In 2022, key City staff participated in a series of workshops to develop consequence and likelihood of failure risk matrices for the lift stations. These workshops spurred engaging discussions, drawing on the participants' firsthand experience with the assets and perspectives from other experiences. The City's Lift Station Superintendent provided over twenty years of practical knowledge of the condition of the assets. The City's Sewer Maintenance Division Manager incorporated his keen awareness of consequence of failure and risk management from his previous management experience in the nuclear power industry. He understood the importance of identifying asset needs, developing a business case, and escalating issues through the management decision making processes to obtain the necessary funding based on priority. Initially, the likelihood of failure (LOF) risk matrix was developed with a top-down approach based on pipe attributes (material, age, etc.) and institutional knowledge from City staff. The physical condition category of the LOF risk matrix was then updated via a bottom-up approach using field collected data from visual and predictive testing condition assessments at 41 active sanitary and combined lift stations as well as the City's 21 Federal flood and storm pump stations. The results from this assessment were used to develop risk profiles based on station type (sanitary, combined, flood, storm) to use as a basis for O&M and capital improvement planning (CIP) prioritization and planning. The 2022 condition assessment results now serve as a baseline for future assessments, putting into place key foundational elements of asset management outlined in their plan. The City now knows with more accuracy which assets they own, where they are located, their current condition, and have a plan to address issues based on their risk profile. Now that these foundational elements are complete, the City is addressing the recommended tactical actions like transferring high-risk asset-level deficiencies into IBM Maximo corrective maintenance work orders. This work will be followed by reviewing the recommended strategic actions, to consider inclusion while developing larger repair, rehabilitation, replacement projects business cases into future CIPs. In addition, the City can start creating basic Job Plans for each lift station asset in IBM Maximo as the basis for a revised lift station Preventive Maintenance (PM) program. The initial basic Job Plans in IBM Maximo can be updated and refined as appropriate over time for the asset, station location, and risk level. The City's consistent efforts for the last several years demonstrate how an initial CMOM self-assessment was used as the basis for developing a plan that is being implemented with persistence, collaboration, and constant forward progress toward a stated goal -- all achieved when faced with staffing and resource limitations. Beyond the IBM Maximo license the City already had in place, the work required no proprietary licensing fees. A key to the success of the field assessments was the City's O&M field staff's willingness to provide information and learn. Benefits of Presentation The City's progress from CMOM self-assessment to an asset management mindset for their lift stations is applicable to many utilities that may not have the perceived funding or resources to implement asset management. This presentation describes Omaha's thoughtful, stepwise progress and roadmap for future steps -- showing others a realistic approach to what can be a daunting task. While the work started with a focus on the wastewater collection system lift stations, similar principles were applied and included for assessment of the City's Federal flood stations associated with the Missouri River levee that are regulated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This progress was critical to coordinating with the USACE, providing documentation from IBM Maximo and supporting information that the City is properly tracking O&M activities and implementing a risk-based prioritization plan to address deficiencies at the flood stations. Status of Completion The lift station risk matrix development and field condition assessments are complete and the report and supporting data are available in IBM Maximo, including detailed asset level data, tactical and strategic recommendations, and planning level cost estimates. The next step is to develop a set of system health reports populated with data from IBM Maximo and develop forms and guidance documentation for City O&M staff to self-perform subsequent annual inspections. This work will continue and evolve as the City's lift station PM program matures. Conclusion The City is addressing critical asset management needs shared across the organization, establishing several foundational elements of an asset management program through mutual understanding and a collaborative work ethic focused on positive outcomes that benefit the overall utility. These elements include: - Leveraging institutional knowledge and existing CMMS system - Asset registry validation - Realization of current asset status and deficiency prioritization - Risk based assessment and prioritization using a standardized process - Improvement of maintenance approach - Transparency with regulators - Increased data quality for reports to support repair workload, capital upgrade, and staffing projections. Asset level condition data are available, as well as asset-specific tactical and strategic recommendations with planning level cost estimates. This presentation will share the City's experiences developing foundational elements of asset management, provide an overview of how condition assessment data were converted to actionable recommendations, and describe the status of continuing phases of implementation and refinement. Attendees will gain practical knowledge from Omaha's experience developing a plan and their implementation approach based on risk assessment and using available resources.