Lehigh County Authority Water Main Replacement

Lehigh County Authority (LCA) is taking a proactive approach to its water main replacement strategy in its Allentown Division System. LCA serves more than 55,000 customers in Northampton and Lehigh counties, Pennsylvania. The Allentown Division system includes more than 300 miles of main, of which more than a third is older unlined cast iron pipe. Instead of waiting until age or deterioration caused failure of these mains, LCA engaged Gannett Fleming to manage a pipeline replacement program. Using existing geographic information system (GIS) data, Gannett Fleming established a practical and effective pipeline asset management program. The program uses data such as main break history, age, material type, and the impact of failure on critical customers such as hospitals, to prioritize the main replacements.