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October 21, 2024INFRASTRUCTURE CONDITION RATINGS, 2022 Statistics Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey reports on publicly owned infrastructure assets. Publicly-owned infrastructure refers to Federal government departments, Provincial and Territorial government departments, Crown Corporations (Federal or Provincial), regional governments, intermunicipal governments, municipalities and local government business enterprises. Data are collected for roads, bridges/tunnels, public transit, active transportation, potable water supply, wastewater/sewers and stormwater.
There are mostly complete condition ratings available for Nova Scotia's roads, bridges/tunnels, potable water, wastewater and stormwater assets. Conditions are rated on the following scale:
- Very good: Sound physical condition. No short-term failure risk and no work required.
- Good: Acceptable physical condition; minimal short-term failure risk but potential for deterioration in the long term. Only minor work required.
- Fair: Significant deterioration is evident; minor components or isolated sections of the asset need replacement or repair now, but asset is still serviceable and functions safely at adequate level of service.
- Poor: Failure likely and substantial work required in the short term. Asset barely serviceable. No immediate risk to health or safety.
- Very poor: Immediate need to replace most or all of the asset. Health and safety hazards exist which present a possible risk to public safety or asset cannot be serviced/operated without risk to personnel. Major work or replacement required urgently.
In 2022, the majority of Nova Scotia's publicly-owned road assets exhibited fair and good condition ratings. This was particularly the case for local roads and highways. However, there were a higher portion of arterial and collector roads categorized as poor and there are no condition ratings available for almost three quarters of Nova Scotia's rural highways.
The majority of Nova Scotia's publicly-owned bridge and tunnel assets exhibited fair to good conditions in 2022.
In publicly-owned potable water assets (non-linear), the majority of treatment facilities, storage assets and pump stations were rated good or very good.
Likewise, in linear potable water assets (ie: pipes), the majority of Nova Scotia's publicly-owned local, transmission and other pipers were in good to very good condition.
As with potable water systems, the majority of Nova Scotia's publicly-owned non-linear wastewater treatment assets (plants, lagoons, pump/lift stations, storage tanks) were in good to very good condition.
The majority of Nova Scotia's publicly-owned sewer pipes were in good or very good condition, though conditions for sewer pipes of unknown diameter were more frequently rated in fair or poor condition.
Although there is less information about Nova Scotia's publicly-owned stormwater assets, the majority of stormwater managemant facilities and pump stations for which conditions were available were in good to very good condition.
Nova Scotia's publicly-owned stormwater pipes and culverts were in very good or good condition, with the exception of stormwater pipes of unknown diameter and open ditches (for which over half of assets have no condition rating).
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0288-01 Inventory distribution of core public infrastructure assets by physical condition rating