Failure, and leakage, of pipes in water supply and distribution networks contributes to loss of potable water and has potentially serious economic, political and consequential costs. Water utilities worldwide face this issue, as pipe networks become older and more prone to failure. 

The value of Australian buried assets is around $AU80 billion, with significant maintenance and repair costs. In 2011, Australian water utilities embarked on a major initiative focusing on the large cement-lined cast iron critical water mains (CWM) that comprise extended parts of older drinking water networks and are the most vulnerable. Together with US and UK water industry partners and leading-edge research capabilities at various Australian universities, a significant initiative was established, aimed at better targeting pipe renewals as the essential component of a CWM management framework.

After gaining a comprehensive understanding of non-destructive testing/evaluation (NDT/NDE) condition assessment (CA) techniques and industry practices, the Centre for Autonomous Systems at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) embarked on the development of advanced sensing interpretation techniques with increasing levels of confidence. This work included the design and deployment of bespoke robotic systems for the inspection of CWM. Sydney Water was the major stakeholder in the Advanced Condition Assessment and Pipe Failure Prediction Project (ACAPFP) research scheme with a cash investment of about $AU6 million. In 2016, Sydney Water estimated that learnings from the project had allowed them to advance their current maintenance practices by suitably amending condition assessment contracts and data collection protocols. Sydney Water also recognised a reduction in the cost of the annual CWM renewal program from $AU40 million in 2008-12 to $AU30 million in 2012-16.