June 20, 2012

Sustainable Underground Infrastructure
June 2012 Issue

Please find below an article by Indianapolis Mayor Gregory A. Ballard, which appeared in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council Newsletter, on reducing costs, improving service delivery and increasing the environmental performance of water and sewer systems. Mayor Ballard also serves as Co-Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council. As well, information on a new study by Utah State University’s Buried Structures Laboratory is sure to provide water utility professionals and local lawmakers with invaluable information relating to the repair and replacement of underground pipes.


Indianapolis Mayor Ballard Cites Benefits of PVC Pipe

In the article, Underground Water Infrastructure: Getting Results in Indianapolis through Continuing Improvement and Modern Materials Practices, Indianapolis Mayor Ballard discusses how water main breaks declined in his city through the use of green, durable and cost-effective PVC pipe, realizing significant savings for ratepayers. “Using a non-corrosive material is critical to keeping long-term maintenance costs down and minimizing capital replacement budgets…PVC pipes in our system have a failure rate 2.5 less than traditional pipe materials,” writes Ballard.

“As we explored repair and replacement options we found that alternative pipe materials like PVC pipes have demonstrated superior performance…We also learned through life cycle analysis that PVC pipe has both a longer useful life than traditional pipe materials, and has a lower cost to both install and maintain,” explains Mayor Ballard.  Click here to read.


Study Assesses Performance of Underground Infrastructure: PVC Pipe Has Lowest Break Rate, Corrosion a Problem for 75% of U.S. Water Utilities

The Utah State University Buried Structures Laboratory has published a comprehensive study on water main breaks for the United States and Canada. Dr. Steven Folkman has completed the pipe materials study in which 188 utilities representing approximately 10% of the nation’s installed water main pipe network responded.  Water main breaks are calculated for all pipe materials used in the transport of water to create a measurement to judge pipe performance and durability.  The study will help prudent decision-making as it relates to repairing and replacing underground pipes. Click here to read.

A major finding of the study is that PVC pipe has the lowest overall failure rate when compared to cast iron, ductile iron, concrete, steel and asbestos cement pipes.  Another major finding includes corrosion as a major cause of water main breaks: 75% of all utilities have corrosive soils and combined with a high portion of cast iron and ductile iron pipes, corrosion is ranked the second highest reason for water main pipe failure in then U.S. Significantly, when comparing between older cast iron and newer ductile iron, thinner-walled ductile iron is experiencing failures more rapidly.

Primary Researcher: Dr. Steven Folkman is a registered professional engineer and has oversight of the prestigious Utah State University Buried Structures Laboratory, which has been involved in analysis and testing of all kinds of pipe and associated structures for over 50 years. His expertise includes structural dynamics, linear and nonlinear finite element analysis utilizing soil/structure interaction, and testing. The Buried Structures Laboratory is recognized as one of two laboratories in the U.S. for performing large scale tests on buried pipes