Though water and sewer rates have increased 5.7 percent annually over the past five years, outpacing average annual inflation of 1.9 percent, their impact is expected to continue falling short of infrastructure needs – so utilities will increasingly be forced to look for ways to save more money. Staying ahead of 1.2 million miles of water pipes across the country and an equal span of sewer pipelines, much of which are nearing or have reached the end of their lifespans, represents the most significant financial challenge facing America’s utilities today. The cost to replace these pipes is estimated at $2 trillion over the next 20–25 years.

To ensure best value for taxpayer dollars, all piping materials which meet current standards and technical specifications should be included in bids for underground infrastructure projects, which will provide more options, spur innovation, and lower costs. As well, to make pipelines more sustainable transparent data is needed to evaluate their environmental impacts. This will help with asset management and life cycle cost assessments for underground piping.

Please see below articles of interest to water and sewer system professionals, lawmakers as well as policy makers at all levels of government addressing the above topics.

Study Takes Comprehensive Look at PVC Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability, Water Finance & Management

“The first comprehensive environmental review of underground PVC pipes for drinking water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer piping systems in North America based on a 100-year life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The study evaluates underground pipe infrastructure in the context of providing sustainable water and sewer service over a 100-year period: (1) with minimal risk of degrading water quality; (2) while reducing the costs of operations, maintenance and repair; and (3) by taking into consideration the variables which can influence pipe performance and service-level expectations.”

Click here for article.


Let’s Fix Our Underground Water Infrastructure Through Open Competition, The Texas Tribune

Here's an article by Austin City Councilor Ellen Troxclair on the need for open competition for piping used in water and sewer infrastructure projects.

“While open competition in piping materials is a very obtainable goal for local lawmakers, oftentimes they run up against department heads stuck on preserving the status quo due to a fear of change. This type of resistance sometimes requires local officials to take matters into their own hands and force regulators to open their specifications to include a variety of piping materials…”

Click here for article.


Rebuilding American Infrastructure: Utilizing Lifecycle Data to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Piping Systems, Water Online

Here’s another article on the environmental and cost impacts over the entire lifecycle of water and sewer piping systems by Tad Radzinski, who is a leading expert in sustainability with over 30 years of practical experience in corporate responsibility and environmental management.
 
Click here for article.


Infrastructure: Competition Trumps Cronyism, The Daily Caller

Nationally renowned water industry expert Bonner R. Cohen, Ph.D., author of “Fixing America’s Crumbling Underground Water Infrastructure,” highlights the importance of open and free competition for piping used in water and sewer projects.

“Competitive bidding on infrastructure projects is also a protection against cronyism. Where artificial barriers to competition exist, someone benefits. Suppliers who know they are protected against competition can jack-up prices and even neglect to upgrade their products. Sadly, the country is still riddled with municipalities that engage in quasi-monopolistic practices when it comes to replacing underground water pipes…”

Click here for article.


Our View: Getting Soaked? Actually, Water Rate Hike Could Be Bigger, Duluth News Tribune

An article showing how municipalities which rely on ductile iron pipes in their water systems can face a perfect storm when these pipes fail prematurely. Duluth, Minnesota is a case in point.

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Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe Recognized as a Top Resource for Sustainable Water Infrastructure Funding, Asset Management, and Lifecycle Cost Management

The Water Finance Research Foundation has announced the top three most impactful and practical studies in the water industry which help address the aging water infrastructure crisis and sustainable infrastructure management and funding concerns. One of the three is the Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials report.

Click here for announcement and link to LCA report.


Congress: Save Taxpayers Money by Protecting Open Competition, The Hill

Dick Doyle, President and CEO of The Vinyl Institute, discusses the importance and benefits of competitive procurement for water and sewer piping.
 
“Existing federal policy proves open competition works. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) program has performed well for years, where piping materials are allowed to measure up in an open forum, and engineers maintain control over selection decisions."

Click here for article.


Aging Water Infrastructure Could Represent a Looming Fiscal Crisis for Taxpayers, The Hill

Jonathan Coppage, a visiting Senior Fellow with the R Street Institute, writes in The Hill about the important role PVC water and sewer pipe can play in helping to renew America’s underground infrastructure.

“The advent of lightweight, corrosion-proof materials has been a game-changer for local water spending, and their use has spread throughout the country. Utah State University’s Buried Structures Laboratory has investigated various PVC pipes after decades of use, and found the long-buried and intensively used pipes often meet the standards of brand-new materials."

Click here for article.


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