Risk-Based Prioritization of a Wastewater Capital Improvement Program

Faced with a capital improvement program containing more projects than could be delivered and upcoming discussions about potential rate increases, the City of Los Angeles needed to ensure that the most important projects are being delivered. A system was developed to allow decision-makers to see which projects would reduce the most risk, preferably at the lowest cost. This system has been applied to the 300 projects contained in the ten-year capital improvement program. The benefits include: providing a clear workplan to the designers with fewer additions and changes during the year; showing how budget increases for one project can impact many others by causing delays or cancelations; and providing information to help the policy-makers determine the level of service they are willing to fund.