MANAGING ASSETS: DEVELOPING RELIABLE LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE PLANS

A county in southern California operates and maintains more than 40 miles of reinforced concrete flood channels built mostly in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. After a series of unexpected failures of channel wall segments, the county engaged Pivot to evaluate the existing conditions of the channels and to develop inspection, mitigation, and repair strategies for the long-term management of the channels.

Pivot assessed the existing conditions with visual observations, a suite of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods, and concrete core sampling. Our assessment identified reinforcement corrosion and alkali-silica reaction as the most common deterioration mechanisms throughout the channels.

Based on our assessment, Pivot developed a long-term management program for the county to extend the service life of the concrete flood channels and minimize the risk of future unanticipated failures. As part of this program, Pivot developed a framework for a regular inspection program, a rational ranking methodology, and repair recommendations to address the observed conditions.