Asset Management Tool Kit 2023

ASSET MANAGEMENT
HANDBOOK & TOOLKIT

November 2023
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Handbook & Toolkit – November 2023 WD-21-04
Contents
Intended Use ............................................................................................................................... 2
1. Where to Start? ..................................................................................................................... 4
2. What is Asset Management? .................................................................................................. 6
3. Vision Statement & Stakeholders ............................................................................................ 8
4. Level of Service ................................................................................................................... 10
5. Asset Inventory ................................................................................................................... 12
6. Prioritization of Assets ......................................................................................................... 14
7. Life Cycle Costing ................................................................................................................. 16
8. Funding Strategy ................................................................................................................. 18
9. Implementation Plan ........................................................................................................... 20
10. Communication Plan ............................................................................................................ 21
Appendix A - Examples ............................................................................................................... 23
Sample Useful Life Data .................................. 23
Example Unique Identifiers ............................. 25
Vision Statement Examples ............................. 27
Level of Service Examples ............................... 29
Inventory Types ............................................. 31
Appendix B - Software ................................................................................................................ 34
Do I Need Software? ...................................... 34
Appendix C – Additional Resources .............................................................................................. 41
References / Additional Resources .................. 41
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INTENDED USE
The intent of this handbook and toolkit is to introduce asset management to communities throughout
New Hampshire, with a focus on implementation.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) has adopted and built off of EPA’s
defined core elements of asset management:
1. What is the current state of the assets?
2. What is the required, sustained level of service?
3. Which assets are critical to sustained performance?
4. What is the best “minimum life cycle cost” capital improvement plan, and operation and
maintenance strategies?
5. What is the best long-term financing strategy?
In addition to each of these elements being covered within this document, NHDES also recognizes the
need to create an implementation plan with a focus on the importance of communication. This
handbook summarizes the core elements that can be used to obtain a deeper understanding of asset
management and includes supporting materials in the appendices.
HANDBOOK AND TOOLKIT USES INCLUDE:

• An overview of the asset management process, the objectives, as well as the benefits
involved.
• Identification of the core elements of asset management that promote success.
• A description of how to manage information and data for successful asset management and
good decision making.
• Suggested implementation practices for asset management.
• Examples and editable tools and templates.
Asset management does not need to be expensive.

“We don’t have the Start small with free or inexpensive tools and/or
resources to implement available information and expand from there as needed.
asset management!” Ultimately, asset management will save you money, so
money spent should be considered an investment.
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For questions on the material provided within this handbook and toolkit, or additional asset
management questions, please reach out to:
For Wastewater/Stormwater:
Sarah Ridyard at Sarah.B.Ridyard@des.nh.gov
Deborah Loiselle at Deborah.S.Loiselle@des.nh.gov
For Drinking Water:
Katie Curtis at Kaitlin.E.Curtis@des.nh.gov
Mat Deterling at Mathew.G.Deterling@des.nh.gov
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1. WHERE TO START?
Wondering where to start is common when beginning to implement an asset management program. A
community can start wherever it makes the most sense for the organization based on what’s driving
the desire to implement asset management and the end goal. If a community is still unsure, a general
pathway is shown below, providing guidance on where to start as well as acting as a roadmap for
continuous improvement.
GENERAL PATHWAY
Identify a Champion and Build a Team: The champion will be in charge of bringing people
together and maintaining progress moving forward. The team should include people who have
knowledge about finance, operations, planning, and engineering. The team should also include
other departments (operations, highway, and/or IT, and others) to have inclusive
representation for the entire community.
Assess Assets: Bring together available information on the assets to obtain a high-level picture
of what is owned, the level of service being delivered, assessment of risks, and costs. Compile
this information into a central inventory or location. Use the information at hand to get started.
The asset data can be improved upon as the process continues and should be evaluated on a
regular basis.
Assess Asset Management Practices: As a team, assess the current practices related to
understanding services, risks, costs, and making decisions. The practice of asset management
may already take place in certain areas. For example, operation crews may have institutional
knowledge of the last time an asset was serviced and an approximation of when it needs to
occur again.
Identify Priorities for Improvement: Based on the assessment of assets and asset management
practices, select priorities for improvement. These might be capital or operational projects to
mitigate risk or increase service, or they might be initiatives for improving documentation or
understanding of service, risk, or costs and funding.
Implement and Monitor: Implement the work needed to address your top identified priorities.
This might include capital projects, conducting maintenance, or developing policies, strategies,
or plans. Evaluate and monitor the work needed on a regular basis to continue to appropriately
address these top priorities.
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ENGAGING DECISION MAKERS

When it comes to engaging with community officials about the topic of asset management, it is critical
that these officials be informed and engaged on an ongoing basis using data generated from the asset
management program. In many cases, the community officials are the asset owners and may have the
final say in major decisions about service, risk and cost. The following topics are important to
communicate with decision makers:
• Benefits of asset management, in the specific context of the community.

• Need for asset management as an ongoing practice to inform decision fiscal making.
• Summary of the connections between service, risk, and cost for the community.
Some operators/managers choose to obtain direction on building an asset management program from
community officials before investing efforts. Other operators/managers seek an official directive after
doing some initial groundwork to understand assets, services, risks and costs in order to highlight the
importance of practicing asset management. Either approach is acceptable since the main objective is
to have formal endorsement and buy in for building an asset management practice.
Champion
• Someone who can drive asset management forward.
• An individual's department or title doesn’t matter.
• This individual needs to have good "people" skills and exceed at bringing
people together.
Team
• Supports the champion through a cross departmental team.
• Ideally, the team should include someone from finance, public works,
engineering, and planning. Other departments within your organization should
be considered as well.
Management & Officials

• Since asset management is ultimately about decision making, success
depends on support from management and officials.
• Support may not be available from the very beginning, as some up-front work
might be needed to frame the issue and build buy-in. Time and financial
investment should be limited until support is gained.
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2. WHAT IS ASSET MANAGEMENT?
Asset Management is about delivering a specified level of service to customers at an optimal life
cycle cost and an acceptable level of risk with a strategy that ensures long-term sustainability of
public assets.
The development and implementation of an asset management program can help reduce operating
risks and address infrastructure challenges, such as aging, deteriorating, undersized and oversized
infrastructure. The practice of asset management can assist with answering the following questions:
• Which assets should we replace/repair first?

• How much money do we need to put into reserves for asset replacement/repairs?
• How much should we be spending on operation and maintenance?
• What is the optimal repair to extend service life while continuing to maintain the
appropriate level of service?
• How often is a particular asset requiring repairs or replacement and is there a better
solution to the current way of approaching the problem?
• How are environmental and personnel assets addressed?
The practice of asset management enables a community to examine the criticality for each asset as
well as the performance of the assets. Asset management also helps shift from reactive management
of assets to proactive management, thereby increasing the benefits and cost effectiveness of
investments. The graphic below summarizes the different stages of the asset management journey.
Some still ignore or do not address issues with their assets, while others have a strategic asset
management program in place.
Strategic
• Asset
Proactive Management
• Fix and
Planned Improve
• Fix it before it Asset
Reactive breaks
• Fix it after it
Ignore/ breaks
Don’t Fix
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WHY PRACTICE ASSET MANAGEMENT?

The residents and businesses in communities throughout New Hampshire trust and expect those in
charge to be good stewards of the services and infrastructure that they rely on every day. What
condition is the infrastructure currently in? Is there room for the community to become more robust
or resilient to unexpected changes, and can the community be more sustainable? Can the community
improve the use of its resources and extend the life of its existing infrastructure in a financially
sustainable way?
BENEFITS OF ASSET MANAGEMENT

• Helps the community confidently evaluate and communicate trade-offs between service, cost,
and managing risk.
• Provides a data-driven, defensible way to prioritize projects and resources.
• Aligns the organization to focus on the things that matter most.
• Helps to decide what infrastructure needs to be repaired, replaced or renewed, and how many
years of service can be expected from each asset.
• Provides guidance for when to implement which repairs and where to extend the lifetime of
certain assets.
• Helps determine how much the community should save for future infrastructure renewal.
• Helps demonstrate need and accountability to community leaders, residents and businesses in
the community.
There are lots of ways of approaching asset management, but at even the most basic level, asset
management is always about data-informed decisions with an understanding of service, risk and cost.
The difference between an entry level approach to asset management and a mature, in-depth
approach is not what content is considered, but increased data accuracy, levels of analysis, integration,
documentation, and formalization of processes.
“Asset management NO. Asset management is a set of practices to promote good decision
is a software making, and it’s an ongoing process. Software can be a useful tool,
program, right?” but it’s not going to replace the need for people to make decisions.
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3. VISION STATEMENT & STAKEHOLDERS
Identifying and defining a vision statement and focusing on the identified stakeholder groups as an
initial step in the development of an asset management program sets the stage for the overall
program.
VISION STATEMENT
The first step in the development of an asset management program is defining a vision that describes
what the goals are for the development of the program. When properly crafted, this community-
specific vision statement will help communicate to stakeholders, the purpose and overarching goals of
what asset management will accomplish for the community.
EXAMPLE VISION STATEMENT

“To provide continuous, reliable, sustainable, high quality service to the
community in order to protect its public health, infrastructure, public assets
and environment.”
To create an asset management vision statement, think about what the community wants asset
management planning to look like. Examples of vision statements from other communities throughout
New Hampshire can be found in Appendix A. These examples can be used as a starting point for the
asset management team to discuss. The vision statement is unique and should reflect the
organization’s goals.
STAKEHOLDERS
Once a community starts involving all stakeholders, implementation of a more effective asset
management process can occur. Although essential to asset management, the concept of an
organization’s stakeholders is often overlooked or inconsistently applied. A stakeholder is defined as
any person or group who affects, is affected by, or perceives themselves to be affected by the activities
of the organization. Basically, anyone who impacts or is impacted by the organization is a stakeholder.
Every organization has a distinct list of stakeholders. Most have common stakeholders (ex. regulatory
bodies, customers, etc.), while others are unique to the social, cultural, economic, environmental and
physical environment in which the organization operates. Identifying the organization’s stakeholders,
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particularly those connected to managing assets and understanding their needs and expectations is an
important building block to developing and implementing an asset management program. Internal
stakeholders refer to the parties within the organization, while external stakeholders represent outside
parties, which are affected by the communities’ activities.
Involving stakeholders in the process of discovering and documenting needs and expectations has
tremendous value, as needs can often be misunderstood or distorted as they pass through layers of
management.
Employees
Internal
City Council/Town or
Community Management
Residential Customers
Utility
Industrial Customers
External Commercial Customers
Regulators
Overall Community
Internal stakeholders are as important as external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders, such as a board
of directors/commissioners, municipal managers/administrators, owners and operators, and external
stakeholders such as customers can all have unique needs and expectations that should be analyzed
and addressed. An example of different internal and external stakeholders identified is shown above.
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4. LEVEL OF SERVICE
Level of Service defines the way in which the community leaders, managers, and operators want the
community’s assets to perform over the long-term.
Knowing the required level of service will aid in implementing an asset management program and will
help frame communication to stakeholders. Infrastructure is not inherently valuable; infrastructure is
only as valuable as the service it provides to the community. Rather than jumping straight to pipe
breakage rates, it’s important to start with defining the service in terms that residents and businesses
will understand – like water service outages. This helps to ensure the priorities for limited resources
are aligned with what the community values. Benefits of understanding level of service include:
• Staff can seek efficiencies with clear performance targets established.

• Members of the community know what to expect and what they are paying for.
• Projects can be prioritized based on their impact to provide or sustain the agreed upon level of
service.
• Consequences of risks can be evaluated in terms of their impacts on the level of service.
• Clear and consistent communication can be presented to the stakeholders about what service
levels will be provided, why, and at what cost. Clarification of stakeholder needs should be
obtained prior to determining the cost, so aligned decisions can be made.
After defining stakeholder needs, the quantitative and objective performance metrics for each need or
expectation should be established. By establishing these metrics, staff can conduct performance
monitoring and precise corrective action when needed. These metrics can also connect directly to any
stakeholder needs or expectations that are related to asset management objectives. This critical piece
in the development of an asset management program is known as defining level of service goals.
Level of Service goals:
• Define performance measures and realistic targets and timeframes to achieve the goals if they
are not already being achieved and to document progress.
• Discuss external trends or issues that may affect expected level of service or the community’s
ability to meet level of service goals (examples can be new permit limits, financial resources or
climate change impacts).
• Show current performance relative to the targets set out (usually through the use of a
spreadsheet).
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When defining your level of service goals, remember to write SMART(ER) goals – Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound, Evaluate and Re-Do. This will allow the community to
track its performance, show successes and failures and revise for improvement each year. Goals should
be changed or adjusted over time. Goals can also be added or removed from the list.
SPECIFIC
•Well defined.
MEASURABLE
•How will you know if the goal has been achieved? Be able to show progress.
ATTAINABLE
•Is the community/staff capable of achieving the goal?
RELEVANT
•Does the metric fit with the broader goals of the organization?
TIME BOUND
•Provides time frame to achieve goal.
EVALUATE
•Constantly measure how the original goals measure up to reality.
RE-DO
•If the original goals need adjustments, simply update, or re-do them.
Determining level of service goals should not be overwhelming. Keep it simple, develop 10 to 12 goals
around the most important aspects for the community. NHDES provides a template for a level of
service goals spreadsheet to help get you started, as well as water, wastewater and stormwater
examples to help brainstorm ideas.
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5. ASSET INVENTORY
An inventory of assets is essential in order for utilities to operate efficiently. Along with the
inventory, you must conduct a condition assessment to have a better understanding of the state of
each asset.
The first step in managing assets is identifying their existence and location and knowing their current
condition. Many communities do not have a complete inventory of their infrastructure assets that
includes essential information like age, condition, and expected life of such assets. To develop the
initial inventory, there are a number of resources that can be drawn upon such as:
• As-built drawings.
• Operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals.
• Invoices.
• Staff knowledge.
• Visual observations.
• Interviews with stakeholders and consultants.
Community leaders. Managers and operators should use as many approaches as deemed necessary to
get the best initial inventory of assets.
Questions to ask about inventory:
• What assets do I own?

• Where are my assets?
• What condition is each asset in?
• What is the remaining useful life of each asset?
• What is the value of each asset?
A common mistake that many utilities make during this process is getting hung up on making a
decision about which software and technology should be used to create the inventory list. While the
use of technology is encouraged to create efficiency in collecting and analyzing the data, software is
not the only method of achieving this goal. A spreadsheet, or even a handwritten list, could be
effective to at least get started. NHDES provides a basic downloadable Excel-based inventory template
which can help start the inventory process.
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Inventory Starting Points:
• Identification number (ex. unique number assigned to the asset).

• Asset Name.
• Location (ex. street name and/or address, name of building).
• Asset category (ex. Pump), Asset type (ex. raw water pump).
• Pertinent capacity information (ex. size, length, horsepower, etc.).
• Installation date and estimated remaining useful life.
• Condition.
• Likelihood of failure (LoF).
• Consequence of failure (CoF).
• Overall risk ratings.
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6. PRIORITIZATION OF ASSETS
Criticality is the measure of risk associated with an asset. Knowing which assets are more critical
than others can aid in determining:
• how to prioritize the spending of limited funds;

• where to deploy limited personnel resources;
• how to manage an individual asset or collection of assets over time; and
• capital improvement planning decisions.
Not all assets are equally important. Some assets are highly critical to operations and achieving level of
service goals while others have limited criticality. Projects and activities should be prioritized based on
the results of a criticality analysis in order to efficiently use limited financial and personnel resources.
To identify which assets are critical, two questions are important:
• How likely is the asset to fail (likelihood or probability of failure)?

• What are the consequences if the asset does fail (consequence or impact of failure)?
There are several modes of failure that assets may have outside of mortality and there are many
factors that can impact the likelihood of an asset failing. The factors taken together provide an overall
assessment of the asset’s likelihood of failure and are commonly represented with a numerical rating
scale (1 to 5 or 1 to 10), where the lower number represents lower likelihood of failure and the higher
number, a higher likelihood of failure. A zero probability is not used because no asset has zero risk.
There is always at least a small chance the asset could fail.
After the likelihood of failure of each asset is determined, the impact of the failure must be evaluated.
Determining the consequence of failure involves consideration of several tangible and intangible
factors and can also be expressed numerically using a similar rating scale as likelihood of failure.
“Is there more

YES. A great resource on developing risk was developed by Southwest
information on factors
that can be used to Environmental Finance Center.
develop risk?”
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CRITICALITY SCORE
The product of the consequence of failure and likelihood of failure ratings provides the overall
criticality score (risk score) for a given asset. The higher the score, the greater risk.
Consequenc Likelihood
e of Failure of Failure RISK
(COF) (LOF)
Calculating criticality scores gives a structured approach for comparing risk across asset types.
Quantifying risk for each asset type provides an informed prioritization process that not only identifies
the highest risk assets, but also allows for the comparison of risk reduction options. The criticality of
any given asset will change over time. However, there are ways to reduce risk and utilities should
investigate which methods will work best for given assets or asset classes. One example of how to
reduce risk would be replacing or rehabilitating the asset.
Once a criticality score has been assigned to each asset, the data should be evaluated to create a
prioritization framework. The severity of the risk can also be visualized in a matrix (see the example
below where the values represent the number of assets in each risk category). This is a useful tool for
communicating asset risks to community officials and/or members who may not understand what a
particular criticality score might mean.
5 0 1 9 2 0
Consequence of Failure
4 0 59 419 295 2
(COF)
3 0 322 1,212 591 11
2 0 15 67 25 0
1 0 0 0 0 0
1 2 3 4 5
Likelihood of Failure (LOF)
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7. LIFE CYCLE COSTING
Life cycle costing is a method that provides an estimate of the total capital, operating, and
maintenance costs for an asset over its operating life.
This core element in asset management is an important concept because it allows a community to
place an emphasis on long-term costs. A community that does not conduct life cycle costing internally
only utilizes the benefits of immediate purchase cost. Although a great first step, without conducting
life cycle costing, the community may not have the ability to fully understand total costs that will be
needed during the asset’s useful life. Without fully accounting for operating costs as well as
maintenance costs, the community cannot make a cost effective decision relative to purchasing
equipment or other assets. Many communities prefer the lowest upfront expenditure, which is
frequently, not the cost effective option over the life cycle of the asset.
To get the most out of asset life cycle costing, key information is required, such as historical data on
condition, performance, maintenance, related energy use, risk and capital cost. By collecting and
analyzing this data, data-driven decisions about the assets can be made. Start thinking about where
existing data is located and where future records should be kept. Understanding each asset’s life cycle
improves the effectiveness of long term planning (like Capital Improvement Plans).
Source: life cycle and replacement costs (epa.gov)
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Analyzing the life cycle cost of assets include a variety of short-term and long-term benefits, such as:
• Knowledge about total asset costs.

• Ability to prepare maintenance schedules that promote efficiency of staff’s time and resources.
• More accurate maintenance and repair budgets.
• Greater detail when predicting general costs.
The phases of an asset’s life include every time a decision or expenditure is made related to the asset.
Throughout the asset’s life sufficient funding to enable the asset to provide the required level of
service must be located. Without sufficient funding, community managers and operators may not be
able to intervene as needed during the asset’s life and the asset may fail prematurely, creating an
emergency situation and reducing the overall cost effectiveness.
Disposal Planning
With the data and knowledge gained

Repair/
Rehabilitation through the previous core elements of asset
Design
/ management, community leaders,
Replacement
managers and operators can determine
the best strategy for the assets, both
Maintenance
Installation individually and collectively to meet the
Activities
desired level of service at the optimal life cycle
Operation cost.
The prioritization of assets and criticality analysis covered in the previous section acts as the
foundation for decision making for asset O&M as well as for determining when to repair, rehabilitate,
or replace a given asset. Prioritization based on criticality identifies those assets that are high,
moderate and low risk. Basing decisions on asset criticality allows community leaders, managers and
operators to optimize funding and can guide the decision making process in terms of repair,
rehabilitation, and replacement.
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8. FUNDING STRATEGY
A funding strategy involves determining the best manner in which to allocate funds for the
operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and replacement of assets.
In order to prepare long-term financial forecasts, a community must outline the future financial
requirements based on all information related to asset creation, maintenance, renewal or
rehabilitation, as well as disposals.
When preparing the strategy, four questions can assist:
• What funds are needed to acquire, operate, maintain, renew or rehabilitate and dispose of
assets?
• What is the timeline when funds are required?
• Will these funds impact user rates?
• What personnel resources will be required to operate and maintain the assets?
To break things down, there are five expenditure types that a community should plan for. Each of
these has an identified typical funding source as well.
Expenditure Type Description Funding Source
Expenses which have no effect on the asset condition but Annual Budget, Rates,
Operational
are necessary to keep the asset utilized appropriately. Revenue
The ongoing day-to-day work required to keep assets Annual Budget, Rates,
Maintenance
operating at required service levels. Revenue
Annual Budget, Rates,

Significant work that restores or replaces an existing asset
Renewal Revenue, Reserve funds,
towards its original size, condition or capacity.
Grants, Loans, Bonds
Works to create a new asset, or to upgrade or improve an

New Work, Annual Budget, Rates,
existing asset beyond its original capacity or performance,
Development, Capital Revenue, Reserve funds,
in response to changes in usage, customer expectations, or
Projects Grants, Loans
anticipated future need.
Annual Budget, Rates,

Any costs associated with the disposal of a
Disposal Revenue Reserve funds,
decommissioned asset.
Grants, Loans
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Revenues are a major component of an asset management program. The revenues must fund the
operation and maintenance of the assets as there generally are no outside funding sources for routine
operation and maintenance of water, stormwater or wastewater assets. In addition, the rates will need
to fund reserve accounts for emergencies, repairs, and debt service (for any loans).
If a community engages in asset management as
Community revenues from: rates and budgets are set, the rates may increase
as the community moves from being traditionally
• User fees.
underfunded to being properly funded. However,
• Hook-up fees.
• Stand-by fees. rates and budgets that are based on sound asset
• Late fees. management principles are very defensible to the
• Penalties. public and stakeholders. Asset management
• Reconnect charges. brings transparency to the process of rate setting.
• Developer impact fees. The more clearly the rate can be explained using
Community reserve funds: sound data, the more likely the rate is to be
accepted by the public and stakeholders.
• Emergency reserves.
• Capital improvement reserves.
• Debt reserves.
Community generated replacement
funds:
• Bonds.
• Taxes.
Non-Community revenues:
• State grants/loans.
• Federal grants/loans.
• Private grants.
• Combinations of above
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9. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The implementation plan should be a “road map” to detail how the community will do each core
element and how it will continue with asset management over the long-term.
Any steps a community undertakes in the area of asset management will improve its overall operation.
A community should be able to jump right into asset management and get started with minimal
preparation or resources. As time passes, improvements to the program and increases in knowledge
base and data quality will be made. A community may wish to increase its sophistication and input a
greater degree of resources over time. However, the most important thing is for a community to get
started on a more systematic manner of operating. The more sophisticated and cohesive the program,
the greater the level of improvement. The implementation plan does not need to be lengthy. The goal
is to make asset management implementation easy to understand and usable by the employees or
volunteer workers. The implementation plan should provide:
• A baseline for what training is available and how decisions were made.
• Standard operating procedures for how to move forward with the goal of making asset
management part of the work culture.
Tips for Developing an Implementation Plan:
• Develop a single document discussing each of the asset management core elements. This
approach must be flexible and should contain an explanation of how each component is
handled, not the actual data obtained from each component. The actual data should be in a
changeable format that can easily be updated.
• Written in a format that all levels of the community can readily use. The implementation plan
should be readily available to all members of the organization and distributed freely. Also
consider making the implementation plan available on the community website for customers of
the organization. Sharing this information will increase trust through transparency.
Continuously update the data as operational duties are performed. This type of updating should not
require the overall plan to be revised. The program should be periodically reviewed (annually or
biannually) to determine if the overall methodology used for each asset has changed in any way.
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Handbook & Toolkit
10. COMMUNICATION PLAN
A communication plan should act as a roadmap for communicating data, information and
knowledge to both internal and external stakeholders.
Communication is key to building a successful asset management program. This is where

content, goals, responsibilities, sources, audience, format and outlet can be identified for a list
of planned communications.
By communicating the results of data that was collected, ranked, and identified as critical, the
community’s needs are made clear to decision makers. A communication plan can also be used
to educate and inform the public.
A common and direct method that is widely used throughout New Hampshire is creating a bill
stuffer. This can help connect with the target audiences at optimal moments, such as in
advance of a rate increase or during the implementation of a new project, either at a facility or
within the community. Bill stuffers can be used to effectively communicate the “how” “what”
and “why” to help increase public understanding. Additionally, to optimize outreach, consider
bill stuffers around/during events and celebrations (examples of which are listed on the next
pages).
More than one method of communication should be used for an asset management program
communication plan since multiple avenues are needed to reach all internal and external
stakeholders. By using multiple messaging platforms, a larger audience can be reached.
Communication platforms can include:
• Inserts for water/wastewater bills.
• On-bill messaging to help customers better understand the services they are being
billed for.
• Fact sheets, websites and social media posts.
• ESRI StoryMaps.
• Emails to community leaders and key decision makers and customers.
• Press releases, media pitches and videos.
• Local television.
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Handbook & Toolkit
• Kiosks.
• Public speaking and/or information booth opportunities such as town hall meetings,
budget meetings, festivals,
editorial board meetings, media
interviews, etc. Events and Celebration Examples:
Another method that can be leveraged • Engineers Week (February)

that your target audience will be • National Groundwater Awareness
familiar with and trust in is radio. With Week (March)
radio stations and/or on-air talent, you • Fix a Leak Week (March)
can effectively reach, educate and • World Water Day (March)
influence community members on a • Earth Day (April)
large scale. • Drinking Water Week (May)
• Infrastructure Week (May)
Using and posting social media graphics
• World Water Week (August)
is another way to sustain a connection
• Protect Your Groundwater Day
with the community and continually
(September)
reinforce key messages. Post and use
• Stormwater Awareness Week
the graphics on a regular basis and
(September)
especially during water-centric holidays
• Septic Smart Week (September)
and celebrations.
• Imagine a Day Without Water
Finally, establish a plan that includes (October)
the most appropriate communication • World Toilet Day (October)
method for each stakeholder group. Create a plan that provides an update on defined
performance metrics. The plan should include the method (how communication will occur),
format (how communication will be structured), and cadence (how frequently communication
will happen). The communication plan should be agreed upon between the community and
each stakeholder group to ensure that communication is occurring frequently and effectively
and meeting the needs and goals of the stakeholders.
“Where can I find

Reach out. Contact us through the information provided at the
examples of the
beginning of this document, and we can provide insight on what others
platform ideas
throughout New Hampshire are using and contact information.
listed above?”
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APPENDIX A - EXAMPLES
Sample Useful Life Data

Estimated Useful Life
Asset
(years)
Storage Tanks 50 to 80
Treatment Plant Structures 60 to 70
Treatment Plant Electrical 15 to 25
Water Lines 65 to 95
Pumping Station Structures 60 to 70
Pumping Station Electrical 25
Intake Structures 34 to 45
Wells and Springs 25 to 35
Galleries and Tunnels 30 to 40
Chlorination Equipment 10 to 15
Gravity Sewer Lines 80 to 100
Manholes 20 to 50
Risers 25
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Estimated Useful Life

Stormwater Asset
(years)
Stormwater Pipes (Metal) 10 to 30
Stormwater Pipes (Brick/Stone) 50 to 60
Stormwater Pipes (Clay) 75 to 100
Stormwater Pipes (Plastic) 75 to 100
Stormwater Pipes (Concrete) 75 to 100
Stormwater BMPs* 10-20**
BMPs are Best Management Practices. EPA’s National Menu of BMPs for Stormwater can be found at this website:
National Menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Stormwater | US EPA
** Stormwater BMPs are highly dependent on the proper and timely operation and maintenance. There is a lack of research
on lifespan on BMPs because they are a relatively new concept. The estimated useful life is based on professional opinion.
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Example Unique Identifiers

Example 1: ABC-DEFG1234
ABC = Facility Designation (i.e., which pump station, well, treatment building, etc.)
DEFG = Equipment Type (i.e., description of the equipment, such as pump, blower, well)
1234 = Equipment Numbering
First Number = Process Number (primary treatment, secondary treatment, etc.)
Second through Fourth Numbers = equipment number
AP-PMP2001 is the Atlas Plant Pump in the Pretreatment Building, Number 001
AP = Atlas Pump
PMP = Pump
2 = Pretreatment
001 = Pump Number 1
Example 2: A-BCD-EFG-123
A = Utility Type (water or wastewater)

BCD = Major Category (water - source, treatment, distribution; wastewater - collection, treatment,
solids handling, discharge)
EFG = Equipment Type (i.e., description of the equipment, such as pump, blower, well)
123 = Equipment Number
W-TMT-FIL-034 is the Water Treatment Filter number 34
W = Water
TMT = Treatment
FIL = Filter
034 = Number 34
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Example 3: M - 1234 - ABCD - 1234

It is also possible to have a numbering scheme that is for a specific asset class, such as manholes.
M= Manhole
1234= House Address
ABCD = Street Abbreviation
1234 = Manhole Number
M-3201-MNTG-0345 is the Manhole near 3201 Montgomery Street, number 345
M = Manhole
3201 = Nearest House Number
MNTG = Montgomery Street
0345 = Manhole Number
Another resource with an example of a developing a numbering system can be found here:
Developing a Manhole or Catch Basin Numbering System | Eliminating Sanitary Sewer Overflows in
New England | US EPA
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Vision Statement Examples

Example 1: Use Asset Management to achieve better communication and planning both internally
and externally between both Towns’ management, wastewater staff and the public.
Example 2: We commit to improving and maintaining the public health protection and performance
of our wastewater collection system, while minimizing the long-term cost of operating those assets.
We strive to make the most cost-effective renewal and replacement investments and provide the
highest-quality customer service possible.
Example 3: Collect institutional knowledge and make it available to staff members and Town
management. Effectively communicate buried infrastructure needs to elected officials and members of
the public.
Example 4: To provide continuous, reliable, sustainable, high quality service to the community. To
protect community’s public health, infrastructure, public assets and environment.
Example 5: The Town will meet the generally accepted wastewater industry standard of care for
current sewer customers, meet its established level of service goals, facilitate opportunities for
additional sewer customers, and balance annual program needs with sustainable customer costs.
of our wastewater facility and distribution/collection utility assets, while minimizing the long-term cost
of operating those assets. We strive to make the most cost-effective renewal and replacement
investments and provide the highest-quality reliable customer service possible. We promote
reasonable growth of the system and will utilize this asset management plan to optimize available
funds to maintain the existing assets.
Example 7: Integrate data sources and leverage available information in order to coordinate and
streamline reporting and decision-making to optimize system performance.
Example 8: Utilize asset management to achieve improved communication both internally and
externally with the Town Select Board and the community.
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of our drinking water/wastewater plant and distribution/collection utility assets, while minimizing the
long-term cost of operating those assets. We strive to make the most cost-effective renewal and
replacement investments and provide the highest-quality customer service possible.
Example 10: Continue to build and expand on the asset management program. Use data-driven
approach to support decision-making and facilitate communication between Town staff, elected
officials and members of the public.
Example 11: Conversations with Town staff indicate that a desired first step is to identify those areas
where improvements to multiple systems are necessary and address those overlapping needs.
Example 12: We commit to improving and maintaining public health protection and performance of
our water recovery assets, while minimizing the long-term cost of operating those assets. We strive to
make the most cost-effective renewal and replacement investments and provide the highest-quality
customer service possible.
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Level of Service Examples

Drinking Water
1. Meet Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Primary Drinking Water Standards 100% of the time.
a. Is it measurable? Yes
b. How often would you measure? Annually
2. Customers will receive a 24-hour notice for planned outages. Planned outages will last no
longer than 8 hours per event 98% of the time.
3. Utility staff will receive 20 hours of training each year to ensure efficient and effective
maintenance is completed.
Wastewater
1. Utility will meet all state and federal regulatory standards.
b. How often would you measure? Monthly Compliance Reports
2. Less than 10 odor complaints per year.
b. How often would you measure? Review customer complaint logs yearly.
3. Less than 4 sewer back-ups per year.
b. How often would you measure? Review log of work orders yearly.
Stormwater
1. Clean and inspect a minimum of 50% of catch basins and drain manholes.
b. How often would you measure? Biannually
2. Sample outfalls – 0-100% to comply with permit - MS4 IDDE program compliance dry weather
inspection and as identified in the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program
Plan.
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b. How often would you measure? Sample when no more than 0.1 inches of rainfall has
occurred in the previous 24-hour period and no significant snow melt is occurring.
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Inventory Types
Drinking Water
Example Assets:
• Distribution System/Pipes/Mains
• Valves
• Hydrants
• Storage
• Well
• Assets at Treatment Facility
• Assets at Pump house/booster stations
• Meter vaults
Example Information to Collect:
• Diameter
• Age
• Length/miles
• Material
• Manufacturer
• Age
• Capacity/Size
• Materials
• Type
• Appurtenances
• Emergency Power
• Location
• Capacity
• Pump age and type
• Casing size and depth
• O&M History
• Estimated years of service remaining
• Value
• Whether the asset requires energy
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Wastewater
Example Assets:
• Primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment units
• Disinfection equipment
• Pumps
• Blowers
• Buildings
• Electronic Components (including control systems)
• Equipment and materials (including gates and valves)
• Piping
• Assets at Pump Stations
• Manholes
• Portable pumps and generators
• Sampling and analysis equipment
• Installation Equipment
• Brief description
• Location
• Date put into service
• Present operational condition
• Estimated remaining useful life
• Current replacement cost
• Level of redundancy
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Stormwater
Example Assets:
• Retention ponds
• Detention ponds
• Catch basins
• Man holes
• Infiltration basins
• Pipes
• Outfalls
• Subsurface gravel filters
• Rain gardens
• Tree box filters
• Vegetated swales
• Permeable pavements
• Vegetated roofs
• Vegetative buffers
• Subsurface gravel wetlands
• Rain gardens
• Cisterns
• Maintenance equipment
Note: This is not an all-inclusive list and all stormwater BMPs should be considered and
included.
• Current condition and location

• Estimated remaining useful life and date of installation
• Historic value (if known) and replacement value
• Descriptive information such as type of material, size, etc.
• Receiving water
• Indicators of potential non-stormwater discharges
• Inspection and O&M schedule
• Track Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE)
• Dry and wet weather samples and analytical results
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APPENDIX B - SOFTWARE
Do I Need Software?
Asset Management (AM) and Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software
systems are tools that can assist with managing data, but can also cause issues when staff with
specialized training are lost, or don’t share the information. Basic asset management in small
communities can be conducted with simple spreadsheets and maps. Larger communities tend to want
a software program to organize their data. Before jumping right to scheduling software demos, here
are some things you should consider before selecting a software system:
• Know your information and communication needs first. One example would involve
Geographic Information System (GIS) – if you want to access information via GIS but don’t have
that skillset in house, you might be able to make use of an externally hosted service which
could save you a lot of money.
• Identify existing software programs currently in house within your community and whether
they need to be linked to asset management software. This could range from SCADA to
existing GIS. Many communities already have one or more GIS licenses in different
departments.
• Think about staff who will be trained on the software and have access to the system. What
will you do if these people leave? Will job descriptions be modified to include asset
management tasks and software experience?
• The software will need to be maintained. Generate a plan for who will be responsible for the
maintenance of the software as updates occur.
Always keep in mind that asset management is not a software program. Depending on the size of the
community, inexpensive programs like Microsoft Excel can be used, but larger communities may want
to have a more sophisticated software program developed by a third-party vendor.
So first, does your community need an AM/CMMS software? Smaller communities may be unsure
whether software could benefit their operation. Take a moment and ask yourself the questions below
to aid in the decision on taking the next step to research software.
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• What does your current data regarding record-keeping look like? Is the data organized or
chaotic, with data and materials kept in many different locations? How easily can you locate
assets? What data is relevant to those assets?
o When record-keeping is unorganized your team could spend more time finding relevant
information than making repairs. Asset management software can store everything in a
single, searchable database that allows you to make informed data-driven decisions.
• Are routines moving smoothly? Are these routines as efficient as possible? Are the needs
communicated clearly and completed daily?
o Planning repairs and service in advance can be challenging, so you may currently be in a
reactive stage rather than proactive. Asset management software assists with
proactively planning these tasks with standardized processes and set procedures. This
will aid in reducing reactive repairs and will free-up valuable time that can then be used
on identified critical tasks.
Depending on how you answered the questions above, evaluating software options further may be
worthwhile. Usually, software can be a significant investment, both in time and money. Software is
available in a variety of prices with an assortment of capabilities. If moving toward software purchase,
the next step would be diving into what capabilities you may require or desire from that software. To
get started, fill out the questionnaire below and then have the software demonstrate the specific areas
requested.
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ITEM REQUIRED WOULD BE NICE NOT NEEDED
Cloud-based platform
Ability for local data backup
Asset Inventory
Ability to add new assets in the future in a user-friendly way
Ability to change/modify asset inventory information in a user-friendly way
Ability to search for assets in a variety of ways
Ability to tie assets to asset ID numbers
Ability to assign user-created asset ID numbers
Use existing asset hierarchy structure
Asset criticality and risk assessment
Ability to integrate existing asset risk data
Asset risk analysis tools
Mechanism to use asset risk to facilitate decision-making
Ability to integrate asset useful life estimates
Stand-alone capital improvement planning feature
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Ability to use asset data to generate a capital improvement plan or suggested list of
capital improvements
Spare parts inventory
Work order system
Easy to create work orders (preventive and corrective)
Work order status tracking
Ability to schedule preventative maintenance work orders based on operational

parameters or frequency
Ability to track total cost of work order (parts and labor)
Ability to use mandatory entry fields for work orders
Ability to integrate safety
Coordination or integration with ESRI-based GIS
Ability to track progress towards key performance indicators (KPIs) and level of service goals
Ability to create and display KPI dashboards
Mobile applications
Compatibility with Android, Apple, or Windows devices
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Compatibility with smart phones and tablet
Ability to collect data and use applications in online or offline modes
Documentation of asset inspections
Ability to store photos, videos, and audio recordings
Report generation
Ability to create and edit data collection and/or productivity-type reports
Report customization and guidance included by vendor during installation and

configuration
Platform for entering/cataloguing business workflow processes
Process control data/regulatory data capture
Elimination of data input redundancy
Ability to add this type of data through mobile devices
Customer inquiry/complaint tracking
Ability to create standard “form letter” responses to customers
Ability to track resource usage
Employee time tracking
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Vehicle inventory and tracking
Tracking both personnel and equipment, including vehicles
Integration with closed-circuit television (CCTV) system
Ability to store CCTV inspection data
Ability to store or link to CCTV videos
Ability to tie videos to assets
Ability to store CCTV inspection reports/results/ratings
Ability to have different levels of user access – read, write, full access, no access
Ability to link to/communicate with SCADA
Compatibility with other software (mapping and financial software)
Ability to facilitate fixed asset inventory audits/updates
Ability to easily integrate other departments now or in the future
Advanced Options
Automatic email alerts
Budget Management
Document Management
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Warranty Management
Monitoring
Condition
Calibration
Energy
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APPENDIX C – ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
References / Additional Resources

Asset Management - A Best Practices Guide.pdf
SDWLP Principal Forgiveness Points for Asset Management Plans (wi.gov)
Asset Management BC Roadmap - Guide.pdf
Building Community Resilience Through AM.pdf
Asset Management Programs for Stormwater and Wastewater Systems: Overcoming Barriers to
Development and Implementation (epa.gov)
What are the Key Differences Between CMMS & EAM? (comparesoft.com)
Level of Service: Guidelines, Categories, and Example Goals for Water Systems - Southwest
Environmental Finance Center (unm.edu)
Developing a Manhole or Catch Basin Numbering System | Eliminating Sanitary Sewer Overflows in
New England | US EPA
Southwest Environmental Finance Center (unm.edu)
Asset_management_for_stormwater_issue_brief.pdf (umd.edu)
Reference Guide for Asset Management Tools (epa.gov)
Asset Management Programs for Stormwater and Wastewater Systems: Overcoming Barriers to
Development and Implementation (epa.gov)
SCAP-Tool-User-Guide.pdf (asdwa.org)
Capacity Development - ASDWA
Asset Management – MS4 Resource (nationalstormwateralliance.org)
Asset Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities | US EPA
Asset Management: A Best Practices Guide, April 2008 (epa.gov)
Asset Management | Southwest EFC (unm.edu)
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Document Display | NEPIS | US EPA

Asset Management IQ - Environmental Finance Network (efcnetwork.org)
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ASSET MANAGEMENT

HANDBOOK & TOOLKIT

HANDBOOK AND TOOLKIT USES INCLUDE:

Asset management does not need to be expensive.

Sarah Ridyard at Sarah.B.Ridyard@des.nh.gov

Deborah Loiselle at Deborah.S.Loiselle@des.nh.gov

For Drinking Water:

Katie Curtis at Kaitlin.E.Curtis@des.nh.gov

Mat Deterling at Mathew.G.Deterling@des.nh.gov

ENGAGING DECISION MAKERS

• Benefits of asset management, in the specific context of the community.

Management & Officials

2. WHAT IS ASSET MANAGEMENT?

• Which assets should we replace/repair first?

WHY PRACTICE ASSET MANAGEMENT?

BENEFITS OF ASSET MANAGEMENT

3. VISION STATEMENT & STAKEHOLDERS

EXAMPLE VISION STATEMENT

External Commercial Customers

• Staff can seek efficiencies with clear performance targets established.

• What assets do I own?

Inventory Starting Points:

• Identification number (ex. unique number assigned to the asset).

• how to prioritize the spending of limited funds;

• How likely is the asset to fail (likelihood or probability of failure)?

“Is there more

3 0 322 1,212 591 11

Likelihood of Failure (LOF)

7. LIFE CYCLE COSTING

Source: life cycle and replacement costs (epa.gov)

• Knowledge about total asset costs.

With the data and knowledge gained

Expenditure Type Description Funding Source

Annual Budget, Rates,

Works to create a new asset, or to upgrade or improve an

Annual Budget, Rates,

Tips for Developing an Implementation Plan:

10. COMMUNICATION PLAN

Communication is key to building a successful asset management program. This is where

• Inserts for water/wastewater bills.

• Fact sheets, websites and social media posts.

• Emails to community leaders and key decision makers and customers.

• Press releases, media pitches and videos.

Another method that can be leveraged • Engineers Week (February)

“Where can I find

Sample Useful Life Data

Treatment Plant Structures 60 to 70

Treatment Plant Electrical 15 to 25

Pumping Station Structures 60 to 70

Pumping Station Electrical 25

Wells and Springs 25 to 35

Galleries and Tunnels 30 to 40

Gravity Sewer Lines 80 to 100

Estimated Useful Life

Stormwater Pipes (Metal) 10 to 30

Stormwater Pipes (Brick/Stone) 50 to 60

Stormwater Pipes (Clay) 75 to 100

Stormwater Pipes (Plastic) 75 to 100

Stormwater Pipes (Concrete) 75 to 100