Linking drinking water supply level of service to RAM performance criteria of production and pumping installations

Waternet provides drinking water to approximately 481,000 connections, i.e. 890,000 inhabitants in the city of Amsterdam and surrounding areas. The drinking water system includes two production plants (incl. two pre-treatment plants), four pumping stations, two booster stations and approximately 3,000 km of transport and distribution mains. At Waternet, based on the demand prognostic, company goals, and legislation, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and risk matrices are developed. Together these form the water supply level of service. In 2003 a far-reaching automation programme is started with the goal to have a fully-automated drinking water system by 2013. The programme is financial feasible if renovation of installations are implemented at the same time as automation. Implementing security of supply analysis, FMECAs and availability calculations, the critical processes and installations are identified and maintenance concepts and operational guidelines are defined. For the critical processes and installations renovation projects are defined. During the different phases of individual projects FMECAs and availability calculations, together with different tests of the renovated installations, demonstrate if installations meet the RAM requirements. The paper describes the process, methods and tools used to define and link Waternets long-term water supply level of service to the RAM requirements of the drinking water production and pumping installations. It also describes the difficulties encountered in the process and the challenges to improve the process.