Developing and implementing a real-time intervention management model for water distribution systems

This paper presents an Intervention Management Model (IMM), developed as part of a Decision Support System (DSS) for the real-time operational management of water distribution systems (WDS). The IMM deals with sudden pipe bursts and leaks and consists of two distinct modules (IMM1 and IMM2 respectively), reflecting two consecutive, but separate intervention stages. The first (IMM1) defines the necessary valve closures to isolate the network element (pipe) where a failure has been detected, so as to achieve the minimum impact on customers, by locating the nearest valves to isolate the smallest segment of pipes. The second (IMM2) selects optimal second-stage interventions to minimise the impact. Second stage options are: opening valves connecting two different District Metered Areas (DMAs), modifying the exit pressure from Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs) and/or setting an overland bypass between fire hydrants. Impact estimation is carried out using hierarchical aggregation of partial impact indicators. The paper describes the structure, the methodology, and the on-going prototype implementation, based on a specific case study, as part of a larger project which is under way.