Seismic Risk Assessment and Screening of Large Water Pipes in Taiwan

Seismic Risk Assessment and Screening of Large Water Pipes in Taiwan

The seismic hazard mitigation of water supply systems is a crucial issue in Taiwan. In order to protect water pipes more effectively, the screening of large pipes is essential. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of seismic hazards like ground shaking, soil liquefaction, active faults, and landslides on buried pipes. The inventory of pipes of Taiwan Water Corporation(TWC) having a diameter of 800 mm or greater was collected and calibrated. This consisted of 2,229 km of pipes of various sizes and pipe types(joints). The seismic risk to each pipe, as a combination of hazard severity and pipe vulnerability, was quantified and ranked. The importance of each pipe was also classified according to its water conveyance capability and the existence or non-existence of redundancy. Finally, pipes of high importance that were at high seismic risk were screened out. They were grouped into three priorities for TWC to implement their seismic improvement program.