Water Asset Management International 3.3 (2007) 04-07

Strategic asset management for the rehabilitation of the water network in Berlin

Christian Thomasius, Petra Maler

Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Berlin
Germany

Ludwig Pawlowski

Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
Germany

In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was possible to achieve a direct exchange of technical data on the water supply and wastewater disposal systems in East and West Berlin for the first time in 30 years. The exchanged data describing the networks of pipes for drinking water distribution showed significant differences in pipe break rates in East and West Berlin. The number of breaks per kilometer of water network pipe length was significantly higher in East Berlin than in West Berlin. An analysis showed that these differences had resulted from the use of different maintenance and replacement strategies for the two systems. A change in strategy led to a sharp decrease in the number of line breaks in the eastern part of the city.

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