In his recent book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout, Co-founder and former Leader of Greenpeace, Dr. Patrick Moore discusses the importance and usefulness of PVC pipe to our society as well as its environmental and safety attributes. He says: “It is far superior to concrete or steel pipes as it seldom breaks down and does not corrode.  Vinyl pipe that has been buried for 50 years shows no sign of corrosion or decay.  It is likely it could remain in service for 500 years or more…”

In a recent interview with Sun TV Dr. Moore reiterates PVC pipe’s many advantages, including its affordability, corrosion resistance, leak-free joints, lower operation and maintenance costs, etc.  Click here to watch video.

PVC Pipe: Best Choice for the Environment

PVC pipe’s greatest environmental attribute is perhaps its exceptional durability and corrosion resistance – leading to better water conservation and lower replacement, maintenance and repair costs.  A study by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation recently put the life expectancy of PVC at more than 110 years, while a European study showed it had a design life of more than 170 years. Its durability, soundness, clean and energy efficient manufacture and transportation have made it the material of choice for water and wastewater applications. Click here to read more.

The  bond market and investors are becoming increasingly aware of the rising costs of water and sewer services and the reluctance of elected officials to increase rates necessary to maintain adequate financial stability. As lenders, they want to know that utilities are pursuing sustainable water infrastructure options like open materials selections of non-corrosive pipes like PVC and other infrastructure asset management best practices.

A recent article by infrastructure expert and former utility CFO Greg Baird in The Bond Buyer: The Daily Newspaper of Public Finance discusses these points. In it Baird argues for better financial and operational management of water and wastewater utilities as a condition of public funding.  Click here to read.

With pipe representing the largest component of a utility's assets, the life-cycle costs and performance of piping materials is critical.  

Piping also significantly impacts operations and maintenance costs, which are spiraling out of control at 6 per cent above inflation because of the corrosion-prone metallic piping in the ground: "Prior to any new public-private or federal funding or bailouts, infrastructure asset management best practices should be employed with the goal of maintaining an asset at an acceptable level of service at the lowest life-cycle."

Municipalities need to consider PVC for all pipe replacement projects given its low cost, long-life and sustainable attributes. 

The Bond Buyer is the premier publication for infrastructure investment in the United States.  Readers include investors, financial institutions and advisors, credit agencies and every municipal bond issuer.

Greg Baird is an expert on infrastructure planning and funding issues and his research is published nationally and internationally.He served as CFO of Colorado's third-largest utility and as a California municipal finance officer. Baird is an active member of the American Water Works Association and also serves on the Economic Development and Planning Committee with the Government Finance Officers Association for the United States and Canada. 

A recent article from the AWWA Journal argues that PVC pipe is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound solution to the corrosion crisis afflicting U.S. water systems. Click here to read.
 
Written by water infrastructure expert and former utility CFO Gregory M. Baird, the article emphasizes the versatility of PVC, calling it “a game changer for a nation dealing with corrosion issues while looking for financially sustainable infrastructure to meet both replacement and expansion needs."
 
Arguing that long-term financial and asset management planning are needed for water systems, the author underlines that PVC is the consistent frontrunner when such methods are used to compare piping materials, demonstrating its cost savings “over ferrous materials such as ductile iron and steel while addressing corrosion issues and matching long-term performance.”
 
Referencing a study that shows PVC has a lower carbon footprint than both ductile iron and recycled ductile iron pipe, Baird also notes that PVC pipe meets many of the sustainability criteria being considered by the USEPA's Aging Water Infrastructure (AWI) Research Program.

As well, Baird stresses the importance of open procurement practices to include "PVC pipe as a low-cost, long-term, durable and sustainable option" in municipal bids. Utilities that fail to adopt such practices, he says, “are open to harsh criticism by both ratepayers and potential bondholders."
 
The PVC Pipe Association is pleased that the AWWA Journal has published Mr. Baird’s comprehensive review of PVC pipe’s outstanding qualities. In print for over 90 years, the Journal is a leading source of information on water and water utility management that reaches 90,700 readers every month. 

In these tough economic times, the City of Pleasanton, California’s commitment to spending wisely and building state-of-the-art underground water and wastewater systems provides the example to follow for local governments nationwide.

Pleasanton's experience with corrosion-prone piping material required adoption of costly measures to protect its iron pipe against inevitable corrosion-induced failure.

As an alternative to this, and to better control costs, Pleasanton began using corrosion-proof PVC pipe in the mid-1980s because it doesn’t need coatings, liners, or other materials to ensure its strength or sustainability. And in the past decade, over 90 percent of the new pipe installed in Pleasanton has been PVC, which now makes up about a third of the City’s water and wastewater lines.

The results have been very impressive, according to an article by Pleasanton Mayor Jennifer Hosterman in the March issue of U.S. Mayor. The article notes that PVC pipe is about 70 percent cheaper to use than ductile iron and that its installation is less labor intensive.  

The Pleasanton approach rests on a dedication to improving customer service, managing tax dollars wisely, and adopting open procurement policies that welcome alternate and better performing materials like PVC pipe.

Giving taxpayers the best bang for the buck should be the chief goal for mayors and local elected officials across the country, and the City of Pleasanton provides a prime example of what happens when elected officials and utilitiy operators work together, open up bidding and embrace innovative practices and technologies.  

It's time more localities embraced proven and truly sustainable materials like PVC pipe for use in underground infrastructure.  

To read Mayor Hosterman's article, click on the following link:

http://www.uni-bell.org/communication/attachments/March_28-2011USMayor.pdf
 

Smarter Spending for Challenging Times: Rebuilding America's Water/Wastewater Infrastructure with PVC Pipe

A sluggish economy, corroding infrastructure, daily water main breaks and cash-strapped local governments. Taxpayers are fed up. Local officials are scrambling for solutions. The media is taking notice.

Against such a gloomy outlook, corrosion-proof PVC piping offers a superior, proven and truly sustainable solution for underground infrastructure, helping municipalities spend smarter and giving taxpayers the best return on their dollar.

It’s time the PVC pipe industry took its rightful place as the market leader, because it alone offers the product that will best solve the corrosion epidemic costing America’s water/wastewater sector more than $50 billion annually, or over $1 trillion in the next two decades.

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Every day, 850 water main breaks occur in North America at an annual repair cost of over $3 billion.  Today a new website, www.watermainbreakclock.com, was launched to track the jaw-dropping cumulative price tag to taxpayers of the high costs associated with repairs, replacement and more.  Corrosion of old-technology pipe materials remains the leading cause of leaks and breaks that are degrading our water delivery and sewage treatment systems, which are critical to public health and the environment.  According to a 2002 congressional study, corrosion costs U.S. water and waste water systems over $50.7 billion annually, or more than $1 trillion dollars over the next twenty years.