Use of information technology in asset management for sewage treatment plants in the drainage services department

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the advent of the digital revolution has transformed the landscapes of all utilities. Sewage treatment is one of them. Information technology (IT) has increasingly been incorporated into all operational aspects of the sewage treatment industry, and particularly in the last decade, it has become an indispensable tool without which the industry cannot keep going, thanks to increasing automation of sewage treatment plants. Not only is IT used exclusively for automation. An area that is receiving increasing attention lately in terms of the value added of applying IT to support business decision making and operation is asset management. In order to effectively and efficiently manage assets in sewage treatment plants, the Drainage Services Department has transformed their life-cycle management system of sewage treatment asset from paper-based processes to an IT-based system. In the heart of this IT system is an application called “Sewage Treatment Operation and Maintenance Management Information System (STOMMIS)”, which involves the synchronization and direct integration of multiple IT systems, including process control and automation systems, maintenance management and stock control systems, financial information system, and laboratory information systems. Data collected by STOMMIS are stored in a data warehouse for analysis to support optimization of maintenance activities as well as the development of asset replacement plan based on asset conditions and risks. Over time, the use of information technology to support asset management will only evolve and increase. This will include the use of intelligent devices on assets that will be able to monitor and report back their capacity, use, and downtimes. This paper will give an overview on what the Drainage Services Department, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has done in terms of applying IT to asset management in sewage treatment plants and the way forward for continual improvement.