Hyer, Celine

Celine Hyer is the National Water Conveyance Practice Leader for Arcadis US. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology. Celine has 33 years of experience in Engineering with 23 years that are directly related to advanced asset management program implementations including risk based renewal and replacement planning for pipelines as well as treatment and pumping facilities. Ms. Hyer currently serves as the Vice Chair of the AWWA Asset Management Committee, and is a member of the ASCE Committee on Americas Infrastructure.

Titles from this speaker

Description: Aligning Service Levels and KPI's as part of Creating an Effective Asset Management...

Aligning Service Levels and KPI's as part of Creating an Effective Asset Management Plan for Your Sewer Mains

Abstract

Performance Management is a key component of any successful Asset Management Program and includes the establishment of Levels of Service to meet stakeholder needs both internally and externally. Levels of Service can be measured and communicated internally and externally through leading and lagging key performance indicators (KPI's). External communications typically focus on outcomes you will provide for key stakeholders and internal communications typically focus on measuring the achievement of necessary activities that need to be performed to meet the agreed upon outcomes. This sounds fairly simple but becomes more complicated to communicate and measure throughout an entire Utility organization. Ideally there should be connectivity from the top Utility Strategic Plan for the organization down through the daily work activities that are needed to achieve the asset management goals to gain staff buy in and understanding of their role towards asset management. An example of how top-down connectivity should take place through the various asset management components is shown in Figure 1. At Toho Water Authority, Arcadis evaluated the existing performance measures and created a more structured and top-down performance management framework for the sewer mains as part of developing a formalized Strategic Asset Management Plan and tactical Sewer Main Asset Management Plan. In considering the stakeholder outcomes, the newly proposed sewer system management requirements for operations and maintenance of the sewer mains in FDEP 62-600 were also incorporated to set them up for future success. Toho Water Authority serves 105,000 wastewater customers in Kissimmee, Poinciana, and unincorporated areas of Osceola County. The wastewater pipelines, exclusive of service connections, are valued at approximately $2.25 billion replacement cost in 2021 dollars. The Asset Management Plan that was developed addresses proactive planning for operations, maintenance, and capital investment decisions regarding Toho's wastewater pipeline infrastructure, including 948 miles of gravity sewer mains and 332 miles of force mains. To align the Sewer Main Asset Management Plan performance measures framework, the goals, and objectives from the Asset Management Policy, that were derived from the Utility Strategic Plan Goals for Infrastructure, were applied, and included three level of service areas: 1. Risk-Based Decisions: Apply risk-based decision making to identify capital and operations and maintenance priorities. 2. Least Lifecycle Cost: Make investment decisions that provide the targeted level of service to customers at the least lifecycle cost. 3. Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that all decisions and activities comply with applicable laws and rules, including Toho policies. Leading and Lagging measures were developed for each of these Level of Service Categories that would be measured at different levels within the organization. An example is shown for Least Life Cycle Cost in the table below. Strategic measures are reviewed and communicated externally by Toho Leadership and tactical measures will be reviewed and communicated internally by Operations and Maintenance Managers and Supervisors. Most of the tactical measures are leading indicators that impact the ability to meet the strategic measures. If these metrics fail to meet targets, then the strategic measures will also eventually be below desired targets. An example of these measures is included in Table 1 for the level of service Least Life Cycle Cost. A phased plan for implementation was also developed to start with existing and easy to implement measures and phase in more complex ones. The implementation plan also considered the availability and quality of the data needed for reporting which is very dependent on the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) field collected data. As part of the Asset Management Plan development, Operations and Maintenance improved process workflows were developed for inspection and assessment programs that will schedule all proactive work in the CMMS, mark its completion, the cost to complete the work, and store any required attributes within GIS. An ongoing initiative is also in progress to simplify and streamline the problem, cause, and remedy CMMS work order code tables to accurately capture and report on asset failures. The connection between good data stored within the CMMS and the ability to successfully report performance measures repeatably and accurately is extremely important to understand. This paper will provide a full case study on how the performance management framework was developed to link together the higher-level asset management strategy to the day-to-day activities for sewer mains and successfully achieve level of service commitments. Any utility that is working on an asset management program and is considering writing Asset Management Plans for their individual asset classes will benefit from this presentation by learning how performance measures can successfully be developed to support both strategic and tactical level reporting and help achieve comprehensive asset management goals throughout the organization.

This paper was presented at the WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference, February 21-24, 2022.

SpeakerHyer, Celine

Presentation time

09:00:00

09:30:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionAsset Management: The Crucial Fundamentals

Session number15

Session locationHyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida

TopicAsset Management, Asset Management Plan, Capital Planning, Performance Indicators, Strategic Plan, Utility Management

Author(s)

C. Hyer

Author(s)C. Hyer1

Author affiliation(s)Arcadis 1

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Feb 2022

DOI10.2175/193864718825158254

Volume / Issue

Content sourceUtility Management Conference

Word count19

Don't give up when things get tough to perform your critical force main inspections

Abstract

The City of Oceanside California operates and maintains three critical ductile iron force mains installed during the 1970's and 1990's, the 42' Combined Sewer Line, the 24' Mission Ave Force Main, and the 24'/36' Land Outfall. The six-mile-long Land Outfall conveys effluent from the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility (SLRWRF) at the northern end of the City to the La Salina Wastewater Treatment Plant (LSWWTP) near the ocean outfall. The two other pipelines are approximately 3 miles long and begin near the intersection of Mesa Drive and Garrison Street, run parallel to the Land Outfall, and flow toward the SLRWRF. Past failures on the Land Outfall prompted the City to create a condition assessment project to evaluate these force mains as well as construct improvements on appurtenances and create access points for inspections. Due to the topography, portions of the force mains are in gravity flow conditions, which complicated the condition assessment plans along with the fact that portions of the mains run along and under the City's major roadway and through culturally and biologically protected lands. The condition assessment team, consisting of Arcadis and Infrastructure Engineering Corporation, utilized multiple steps and technologies in a phased approach to collect the most relevant data using a cost-effective approach including the following:
Development of Base Maps. The team compiled information on the existing pipelines into a base map including location, flow data, baseline soil corrosivity, desktop geotechnical data, planning level biological and cultural studies, conservation easements, connection details, and plan and profile views.
Up-Front Capital Improvement Projects. The team identified several locations to prioritize as an immediate need for replacement including air valves on the Land Outfall and lining of the 24' gravity portion of the Mission Avenue Force Main. The City also indicated that they intended to rehabilitate the 42' combined sewer from the interconnect to Mission Avenue Lift Station and preferred not to inspect that section of line. â€¢.
Development of Condition Assessment Plan. A Condition Assessment Plan was written that included the proposed following assessments:
Acoustic screening using Smart Ball on the Mission Avenue Force Main to identify gas pockets and the potential for internal corrosion failure.
Broadband Electromagnetic (BEM) testing on the Land Outfall, Mission Avenue Force Main, and Combined Sewer Line to establish baseline wall thickness data, inspect locations in high corrosivity soil locations, and inspect high points.
Internal Electromagnetic testing using Pipe Diver on the Land Outfall including area with a river crossing and a large passenger railroad crossing.
Additional soil corrosivity opportunistic testing at excavated areas.
Internal Electromagnetic testing using Pipe Diver on the Mission Avenue Force Main and Combined Sewer Line to analyze the river crossings (this was later removed from the project due to the difficulty in accessing the lines, lack of redundancy and high risk at Mission Avenue Lift Station related to flow diversions). As part of the condition assessment plan for the internal inspections, flow conditions were analyzed on paper and specific actions were detailed regarding operations of the Mission Avenue Lift Station and the SLRWRF effluent pumps to maintain 2 feet per second of full pipe flow during the inspections as well as depressurizing and repressurizing for the Land Outfall Pipe Diver inspection. Flow diversion plans were also created to restrict industrial customers that discharge directly into the Land Outfall. There were intentions of performing a dry run to simulate the required flow conditions prior to performing the Pipe Diver inspection as well as having all of the air valve repairs completed, but due to weather impacts on the construction and the inconvenience of customers having to hold their flows, the flow test was not performed. During the Land Outfall inspection of the river crossing section, the team was able to control the flow at 2 feet per second (fps) for the two Pipe Diver runs after some unanticipated trial and error of partially closing a valve downstream to fully fill the pipe after it was depressurized. The testing lasted longer than anticipated but was successful. However, the Land Outfall section at the railroad crossing was more challenging and the team was not able to turn the downstream valve and maintain full flow at 2 fps and the test was abandoned. Analyzing the data collected from the successful inspections on the Land Outfall was inconclusive to determine the condition of the railroad crossing portion of the force main. BEM testing at the beginning and end of the railroad segment did not show any wall loss internally at the crown or any external corrosion. However, various soil analysis performed along the full force main length did not correlate with some of the observed external pitting, and some pipe segments were found to have polywrap to protect the pipe from external corrosion and some did not. Even more concerning, the results from the river crossing Pipe Diver inspection showed many small areas of corrosion up to 50% wall loss that seemed to be from corrosive soil hot spots and or deteriorated polywrap or no polywrap present. It would have been easy to give up and say that based on the two BEM test points the railroad crossing was in good condition but since it was such a large crossing and included passenger trains, the team felt it was worth further exploration to prevent a failure in the area. The City and condition assessment team worked closely together to perform additional hydraulic evaluations, perform a dry run to get the required flow conditions prior to conducting the inspection, and writing up a detailed protocol to follow on inspection day. With this advance effort, Pipe Diver was successfully deployed and provided meaningful data. The data showed multiple localized areas of corrosion up to 70% wall loss. Approximately 1,500 feet of pipeline was recommended for immediate replacement at a planning level cost of $1,454,700. Lessons learned are that you should do all possible up front planning and modeling, including dry runs if flow conditions may be difficult to achieve, to support a successful internal condition assessment, and selecting point inspections based on base map data may not provide a full picture of pipeline conditions if external corrosion hot spots exist and the pipeline has not been consistently protected. Additional inspections are recommended for Mission Avenue Force Main and the Combined Sewer line. At this time, the City is evaluating if the Mission Avenue and Combined Sewer Force Mains may need increased capacity or be taken out of service as part of decommissioning the LSWWTP. Additional inspections will be planned in conjunction with parallel pipeline construction as necessary.

The following conference paper was presented at Collection Systems 2021: A Virtual Event, March 23-25, 2021.

SpeakerHyer, Celine

Presentation time

13:00:00

13:20:00

Session time

13:00:00

14:00:00

SessionAsset Management

Session number5

Session locationSimu-live

TopicAsset Management, Collection Systems, Condition Assessment, FOG, Innovative Technology, Predictive Analytics, Risk Management, Sanitary Sewer Overflow

Author(s)

C. HyerH. Steed

Author(s)C. Hyer1; H. Steed2

Author affiliation(s)Arcadis US1

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Mar 2021

DOI10.2175/193864718825157914

Volume / Issue

Content sourceCollection Systems Conference

Word count15

Don't Give Up When Things Get Tough to Perform Your Critical Force Main Inspections

Abstract

The City of Oceanside California operates and maintains three critical ductile iron force main installed during the 1970's and 1990's, the 42' Combined Sewer Line, the 24' Mission Ave Force Main, and the 24'/36' Land Outfall. The six-mile-long Land Outfall conveys effluent from the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility (SLRWRF) at the northern end of the City to the La Salina Wastewater Treatment Plant (LSWWTP) near the ocean outfall. The two other pipelines are approximately 3 miles long and begin near the intersection of Mesa Drive and Garrison Street, run parallel to the Land Outfall, and flow toward the SLRWRF. Past failures on the Land Outfall prompted the City to create a condition assessment project to evaluate these mains as well as construct improvements on appurtenances and create access points for inspections. Due to the topography, portions of the force mains are in gravity flow conditions, which complicated the condition assessment plans along with the fact that portions of the mains run along and under the City's major roadway, Oceanside Boulevard, and through culturally protected, and biologically protected lands. The condition assessment team, consisting of Arcadis and Infrastructure Engineering Corporation, utilized multiple technologies in a phased approach to collect the most relevant data using a cost-effective approach. Initialization and selection of technologies included the following. - Development of Base Maps. The team compiled all existing information on the pipelines into a base map - Up-Front Capital Improvement Projects. The team, in conjunction with the City, identified several items to prioritize as an immediate need for replacement. - Development of Condition Assessment Plan. With baseline information and identification of up-front capital improvement projects, the team proposed a Condition Assessment Plan that included the following assessment types: - Acoustic screening using Smart Ball to identify gas pockets and the potential for internal corrosion failure. - Broadband Electromagnetic (BEM) testing to establish baseline wall thickness data, inspect locations in high corrosivity soil locations, and inspect high points. - Internal Electromagnetic testing using PipeDiver on high consequence areas for more detailed wall thickness data. - Additional soil corrosivity samples from in the trench adjacent to the pipelines. As part of the condition assessment plan for the internal acoustic and electromagnetic testing, flow conditions were analyzed on paper and specific actions were detailed regarding operations of the Mission Avenue Lift Station and the SLRWRF effluent pumps to maintain 2 feet per second of full pipe flow during the inspections as well as depressurizing and repressurizing the Land Outfall for the insertion of Pipe Diver. Flow diversion plans were also created to restrict an industrial customer and the desalination plant that discharge directly into the Land Outfall. There were intentions of performing a dry run to simulate the required flow conditions prior to performing the Pipe Diver inspection as well as having all of the air release valve repairs completed, but due to weather impacts on the construction and the inconvenience of customers having to hold their flows, the dry run flow test was not performed. During the Land Outfall inspection of the river crossing section, the condition assessment team was able to successfully control flow at 2 feet per second for the two Pipe Diver runs after some trial and error of partially closing a valve downstream to fully fill the pipe after it was depressurized. The testing lasted a day longer but was successful. However, the Land Outfall section at the railroad crossing was more challenging and the team was not able to turn the valve and consistently maintain full flow at 2 feet per second and the test was abandoned. Analyzing the data collected from the successful inspections on the Land Outfall provided an inconclusive determination of the condition of the railroad crossing portion of the force main. BEM testing at the beginning and end of the railroad segment performed during the construction of the insertion and retrieval access points did not show any wall loss internally at the crown or any external corrosion. However, various soil analysis performed along the full 6 mile force main length did not correlate with some of the observed external pitting, and some pipe segments were found to have polywrap to protect the pipe from external corrosion and some did not. Even more concerning, the results from the river crossing Pipe Diver inspection showed many small areas of corrosion up to 50% wall loss that seemed to be from corrosive soil hot spots and or deteriorated polywrap or no polywrap present. It would have been easy to give up and say that based on the two BEM test points the railroad crossing was in good condition but since it was such a large crossing and included passenger trains, the team felt it was worth further exploration to prevent a failure in the area and associated social disruptions. The City and condition assessment team worked closely together to perform additional hydraulic evaluations, perform a dry run to get the required flow conditions and hold them prior to conducting the inspection and writing up a detailed protocol to follow on the inspection day. With this advance effort, the Pipe Diver was successfully deployed and provided meaningful data. The data showed multiple localized areas of corrosion up to 70% wall loss. Approximately 1,500 feet of pipeline was recommended for immediate replacement. The planning level cost opinion for the replacement, assuming the replacement is installed in parallel in the same general alignment as the existing Land Outfall is $1,454,700. Lessons learned are that you should do all possible up front planning and modeling, including dry runs if flow conditions may be difficult to achieve, to support a successful internal condition assessment, and selecting point inspections based on base map data may not provide a full picture of pipeline conditions if external corrosion hot spots exist and the pipeline has not been consistently protected. Detailed assessments should be conducted for high consequence of failure force mains to prevent high profile failures. Additional inspections are recommended for Mission Avenue Force Main and the Combined Sewer line. At this time, the City is evaluating if the Mission Avenue and Combined Sewer Force Mains may need increased capacity or be taken out of service as part of decommissioning the LSWWTP. Additional inspections will be planned in conjunction with parallel pipeline construction, depending on the outcome of this evaluation.

This paper was presented at the WEF Collection Systems Conference in Detroit, Michigan, April 19-22.

SpeakerHyer, Celine

Presentation time

8:30:00

9:00:00

Session time

8:30:00

11:15:00

Session number14

Session locationHuntington Place, Detroit, Michigan

TopicCIP Development, Condition Assessment, Force Mains

Author(s)