The cost of failure of an asset may be:
- environmental
- social
- operational
- economic
Operational costs may be determined by pipe diameter and material type, the type of repair, accessibility of the site for repair and the equipment or resources required to carry out the repair.
Social costs may relate to inconvenience to the customer for loss of service. The greater the number of customers impacted, the greater the social disruption incurred.
Economic costs relate to the loss of income incurred by commercial customers if their business is disrupted as a result of asset failure.
Environmental costs may be incurred if it is necesssary to rectify damage to waterways or parks and gardens. The cost of sewage entering a major waterway is likely to be much greater than sewage entering a residential garden.