DEALING WITH AGING OF HYDRAULIC INFRASTRUCTURE: AN APPROACH FOR REDESIGN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS

For centuries, engineers around the world have focused on regulating water systems in order to facilitate a number of important societal functions. This resulted in extensive, interlinked water infrastructure networks that provide protection against flooding, sufficient freshwater supply and a thriving navigation network. Due to either technical wear and/or malfunctioning, or by changing functional requirements resulting from climate change and/or societal developments, hydraulic structures reach the end of their lifetime, making replacement or renovation necessary. The fact that hydraulic structures operate in a complex water network, fulfilling many functions and involving many stakeholders, makes the redesign of these infrastructural assets a complex task. This paper introduces an approach to help define long term reinvestment strategies for the replacement or renovation of hydraulic structures within existing water infrastructure networks. The framework presented is based on the principles of 'Adaptive Delta Management', developing flexible strategies using the concepts of adaptation tipping points in combination with adaptation pathways. The potential of this approach is illustrated with a case study in the Netherlands, namely the Discharge Sluice and Pumping Station IJmuiden.