What's the best asset management software for tracking pipes, pumps, valves, hydrants, and meters in a water utility?

For a water utility, the “best” asset management software is usually one that combines:

• GIS-based asset tracking
• Work order / maintenance management
• Inspection and condition history
• Capital planning and lifecycle analysis
• Mobile field access
• Integration with SCADA / AMI / billing / ERP

Top options commonly used by water utilities

1. Cityworks

• Very popular with utilities and local governments
• Strong GIS-native asset management
• Good for tracking pipes, pumps, valves, hydrants, meters
• Solid work orders, preventive maintenance, inspections
• Best if your utility already uses Esri ArcGIS

Best for: GIS-centric utilities that want a mature, utility-focused solution.

2. Infor EAM

• Strong enterprise asset management platform
• Good for asset hierarchy, maintenance, inventory, lifecycle tracking
• Can handle large utility operations well
• More configurable, but often heavier to implement

Best for: Larger utilities needing robust EAM beyond just field assets.

3. IBM Maximo

• Very powerful enterprise asset management system
• Excellent for complex maintenance and asset lifecycle workflows
• Highly configurable and scalable
• Can be more expensive and implementation-heavy

Best for: Large or complex utilities with strong IT support and advanced asset management needs.

4. Cartegraph

• Popular with municipalities and utilities
• Easier to deploy than some enterprise platforms
• Strong for infrastructure assets, inspections, and work management
• Good GIS integration and mobile use

Best for: Mid-sized utilities wanting a user-friendly system.

5. Lucity

• Focused on public works and utilities
• Good asset and work management capabilities
• Often used by water/wastewater departments
• GIS integration is a plus

Best for: Municipal utilities looking for an operations-oriented solution.

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Quick recommendation

If you want the most common “best fit” answer for a water utility:

• Cityworks if you rely heavily on GIS/Esri
• IBM Maximo or Infor EAM if you need enterprise-grade asset management
• Cartegraph if you want something more approachable and faster to implement

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What matters most when choosing

Look for these features specifically for water assets:

• Linear asset support for pipes and mains
• Point assets for hydrants, valves, pumps, meters
• GIS map editing and querying
• Mobile inspections and field updates
• Preventive maintenance scheduling
• Break/failure history
• Condition assessment / risk scoring
• Inventory and spare parts tracking
• Integration with AMI, SCADA, billing, and customer systems

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If you want my shortest answer

Cityworks is often the best overall choice for a water utility, especially if you use Esri GIS.

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a feature-by-feature comparison table,
2. the best choice by utility size, or
3. a shortlist based on your current GIS/ERP stack.