A comprehensive economic and environmental sustainability assessment of centralized sewer systems

The installation of centralized sewer infrastructure represents a significant investment of material, energy, and environmental resources. However, few studies have comprehensively assessed both the economic and environmental impacts associated with sewer system construction, particularly across variations in pipe material, size, and excavation depth. To address this gap, this study developed a dynamic modeling framework that integrates detailed life cycle costing (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) for typical sewer installations across the United States. Costing data were sourced from RSMeans construction databases and real-world projects, while environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, were estimated using OpenLCA and emission factors. Construction activities and material requirements were modeled in accordance with the Standard Specifications for Water and Sewer Main Construction in Illinois, supplemented by industry standards such as ASTM, ASCE, and OSHA guidelines. The results show that both excavation depth and pipe material have a significant impact on installation costs and carbon intensity per foot of sewer installed, with deeper excavations (>15 ft) and traditional materials such as ductile iron pipes, leading to substantially higher costs and emissions. Comparative analysis highlights potential trade-offs between economic and environmental performance across design alternatives. While many studies focus only on materials or equipment, this model includes all key construction activities such as excavation, shoring, and backfilling. As a result, the emission values are higher, but they offer a more complete and realistic view of carbon impacts during sewer installation. The framework supports sustainable decision-making by enabling comparisons across sewer installation options based on both cost and carbon performance.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environ Engr in Civil Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Kanteti, Vineeth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Guest, Jeremy S.

• Centralized Sewer Infrastructure
• Life Cycle Costing
• Life Cycle Analysis, Carbon Intensity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Vineeth Kanteti

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129345

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129345