|
 Occasionally
an article is published that covers the seminal points and gets to the heart
of the matter. Bonner Cohen, Ph.D., water industry expert and author of “Fixing
America’s Crumbling Underground Water Infrastructure,” has just written such a
piece. Dr. Cohen gets us out of the weeds and exposes the underlying causes of
the Flint, Michigan tragedy, providing fresh and much needed insight into the
inner workings of the water industry that must be understood by taxpayers,
lawmakers, policymakers and engineers before real change can take place and
similar disasters averted. To improve water system performance, affordability,
durability and safety, Dr. Cohen argues that fair and open bidding processes for
piping materials are essential.
Below are excerpts from the article, “A way out of Flint’s water quality
crisis,” published by The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.
“To keep a tragedy like the one in Flint from happening
elsewhere, it is important to understand what really happened there, and to
appreciate what cash-strapped municipalities can do on their own to keep their
constituents from suffering a similar fate…Setting aside the bungling of
officials at all levels of government, Flint’s water system was a disaster
waiting to happen. Lack of open competition for piping used in Flint’s water
system blocked innovation and was a key, if little-noticed, factor in the
disaster.”
Iron Pipe Breeding Ground for
Pathogens, Increasingly Associated with Public Health and Safety Issues
“Flint’s corroded underground iron pipes have long been a breeding ground for
human pathogens… Flint’s iron pipes are so corroded that they undermine
chlorine’s capacity to disinfect water. Iron corrosion consumes chlorine… making
it more likely that harmful bacteria will grow in the water…This contributed to
the May 2000 e-coli outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario, which killed seven people
and made thousands sick. It may also have played a role in the recent outbreak
of Legionnaires’ disease in Flint.”
“Iron piping is not only failing due to corrosion but is increasingly associated
with public health and safety issues. Recent studies show, for example, that the
cement mortar lining used in ductile iron pipes is a potential source of water
contamination and that there is an association between iron corrosion and
increased levels of lead in water.”
Safer Pipe Materials and More
Cost-Effective Practices Needed
“A task force appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder found that the primary blame for the
contamination in Flint lay with the state Department of Environmental Quality
for failing to require the use of anti-corrosion chemicals in the water to keep
the iron pipes from leaching lead and contaminating drinking water. Those
chemicals require ongoing monitoring, and their use is absolutely necessary in
cities burdened by corroding underground iron and lead pipes. But Flint was
spending so much money repairing its leaking iron pipes that scant funds were
available for anti-corrosion chemicals.”
Flint’s Neighbor
Burton, Michigan Saves $2.2 Million with Lead-Free, Non-Corrosive
PVC Pipe
“With its 30,000 inhabitants, Burton is contiguous to
Flint and,
until recently, its leaking, corroded underground iron and ductile
iron pipes were decaying at an alarming rate… Like Flint, Burton was saddled
with procurement specifications that were as antiquated as its iron water pipes
and which effectively excluded any alternative solution or technology from the
competitive bidding process. Facing many of the same financial constraints that
bedevil Flint, Burton Mayor Paula Zelenko petitioned and fought Genesee County
for her city to be allowed to have a procurement process for pipe replacement
that included competitive bidding. Her plan to upgrade Burton’s water system
predates the Flint fiasco. The project, which began in June 2014, will, upon
completion in 2019, have replaced 19 miles of corroded, dilapidated iron pipe
with lead-free, non-corrosive PVC pipe at a cost $2.2 million lower than the
nearest
bidder.”
Open Competition Fundamental
Responsibility of Municipalities, Says
Burton Mayor Zelenko
“I
believe that responsible elected officials support open competition and the need
for alternative products and materials in bidding processes for underground
infrastructure. This is a fundamental right and responsibility of all municipal
governments,” says Mayor Zelenko. In recognition of her efforts to bring safe
drinking water to the residents of Burton, she received the Genesee County
Metropolitan Commission’s 2015 Innovation in Infrastructure and Technology
Award."
“By following Mayor Zelenko’s example, Flint and other cities can take a giant
step toward providing residents with safe drinking water, and at an affordable
rate made possible by open competition and sustainable underground water
infrastructure.”
Click here for article.
North Carolina and Ohio Studies
Point to Significant Savings in Piping Costs
through Open Procurement
There is growing awareness and concern across the country of the need to address
closed bidding practices. With pipe representing 60% of the cost of water and
sewer projects, focusing on pipe material selection is the first step in helping
to reduce costs.
Charlotte, NC
saves an average of $155,902 per mile in pipe
capital costs by
considering
all materials that meet
specifications.
Click here for study.
Delaware County, OH saves up to $97,680 per mile in
pipeline capital costs through open bidding.
Click here for study.
Ohio Home Builders Say
Competition for Piping Materials Improves Housing Affordability
“As illustrated by several witnesses, restricting what products can be utilized
notably increases the cost of projects, and further, prevents communities from
determining what material makes the most sense. Replacing arbitrary restrictions
with the ability to propose use of alternative materials meeting specified
standards opens up competition, and thus a more efficient use of funds.”
Click here for letter to Ohio House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Councilman Jon Russell (Culpeper,
VA) Calls for Better Use of Local Funds for
Water
and Sewer Projects
“To ensure taxpayer
dollars are spent wisely, the
government should consider using
American Society for Testing and Materials or American
Water Works Association standards for all specifications
or
design criteria. The goal
should
be to construct a
project at the best
price and value for system customers and taxpayers.”
Click here for article, “Will Flint Officials Adopt a Competitive Bidding
Process to Fix Their Pipes?”
Regards,
Bruce Hollands
Executive
Director | Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association
 2711 LBJ Freeway, Suite
1000 | Dallas, TX 75234
T. 972.243.3902 ext. 1019 | F.
972.243.3907
www.uni-bell.org
  
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