PVC Pipe Projects Fixing Faulty Water Systems Nationwide
ANYWHERE, U.S.A., Oct. 27, 2011 – Following an unprecedented number of broken water mains and corroded pipe systems failing residents and businesses the past few months, more and more municipalities coast to coast are solving the problem by installing durable PVC pipe systems designed to last into the next century.
About half of the existing pipe infrastructure in the United States is made of cast iron, installed up to 100 years ago, or ductile iron, much of it installed after World War II. In the majority of cases, these iron pipe systems have outlived their usefulness.
According to The Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, there are 850 water main breaks a day in North America, amounting to more than 310,000 breaks annually. More than 3,670,000 have occurred since January 2000. A running tally of breaks and repair costs in Canada and the United States since 2000 can be found at www.watermainbreakclock.com.
Primarily as a result of premature pipe corrosion and breaks, an estimated 2.6 trillion gallons of water are lost in the United States each year, enough water to satisfy the drinking water needs of every man, woman, and child on earth for an entire year, according to the Vinyl Institute.
The extreme heat and dry climate over the summer took a heavy toll on pipe infrastructure in many Texas cities and towns in particular. In August, Houston suffered 700 water main breaks a day, officials in Kemp had to shut off water for its 1,110 residents one day after 14 water pipes burst there; and Odessa and Ennis were among many other Texas municipalities experiencing serious problems with broken pipes. PVC pipes often came to the rescue.
In Pleasanton, Calif., more than 90 percent of the city’s pipe installations in the past decade have involved PVC, which the city construction manager Jim Gotcher says is sustainable and cost effective, doesn’t need the corrosion protection of ductile iron, can be installed with lighter equipment, and is less labor intensive.
The Vinyl Institute states PVC piping systems have been used successfully in North America since the 1950s in both drinking water and wastewater systems. Millions of installations still in service function as well as when they were installed, and have been rigorously tested by nationally recognized, independent certifiers for both reliability and safety. They are strong, provide excellent resistance to both external and internal pipe corrosion, deliver clean drinking water, offer superior flow, resist cracking even when bent or subjected to excessive loads, and have water-tight joints.
The many advantages of PVC pipe are echoed in a recent report by Gregory Baird, published in the June 2011 journal of the American Water Works Association. http://www.uni-bell.org/kcfinder/upload/files/Money%20Matters.pdf
When properly designed and installed, PVC pipe has an estimated life span of more than 100 years, with little or no loss of strength. The AWWA article referenced above cited a recent study reporting that vinyl pipe installed in Germany 70 years ago could easily function for another 100 years.
An overview of some PVC pipe projects in just the past few months:
• Clarkstown, N.Y. – New PVC sewer line replaces deteriorating 40-year-old clay piping.
• Factoryville, Pa. – New PVC pipe was installed to prevent basement floods from leaky stormwater pipes.
• Coatesville, Pa. – The city substituted old sewer mains with new PVC pipe.
• Berryville, Va. – PVC pipe replaced steel and galvanized pipe in which 2-3 breaks a day were recorded during July.
• Vass, N.C. – A long-delayed sewer upgrade includes installation of 32,600 linear feet of PVC pipe.
• Lockhart, S.C. – New PVC lines were installed to replace a deteriorated cast iron line.
• Florence, Ala. – Corroded galvanized pipes choked with mineral deposits that reduce water pressure are being replaced with PVC lines.
• Marianna, Fla. – A section of a burst water main made of an asbestos and cement blend was replaced in June with PVC pipe.
• Olive Branch, Miss. – Deteriorating clay pipes are being removed so new PVC pipes can be installed.
• Hattiesburg, Miss. – A $2-million project to replace aging sewer lines with PVC pipe is underway.
• Saltillo, Miss. – The town’s rapidly growing population has necessitated major infrastructure improvements, including a multi-year project to swap old, bursting iron pipes with higher diameter PVC lines.
• Avon Lake, Ohio – 1,200 feet of a new PVC water main have recently been installed.
• Fremont, Ohio – New 8-inch PVC waterlines supplanted old 6-inch cast iron water lines.
• Chesterton, Ind. – New PVC pipe is replacing a failed concrete sewer main.
• Olney, Ill. – A PVC water main has succeeded a deteriorated cast iron water main.
• Glencoe, Ill. – Old cast iron pipes have been substituted with wider, more efficient PVC lines.
• Gardner, Kan. – A city ordinance has approved construction of a sewer main including 13,400 lineal feet of PVC pipe.
• Farmington, N.M. – New PVC pipe was installed in place of a corroded and flaking cast iron water line.
• Carson City, Nev. – A new infrastructure project includes the installation of 5,500 feet of a 34-inch PVC water line.
• Olympia, Wash. – Old asbestos cement pipe is being removed for new PVC pipe.
• Carpinteria, Calif. – A new water transmission pipeline installation is PVC pipe.
• Novato, Calif. – New PVC pipe has replaced a cast iron water main.
• Sonoma Valley County, Calif. – New PVC pipe has replaced aging and deficient reinforced concrete pipeline.
For more information on the Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, go to: www.uni-bell.org.
The Vinyl Institute represents the manufacturers involved in the production of PVC/vinyl resin in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC/vinyl products to society.
For more information on The Vinyl Institute, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
571-970-3327
jpalmer@vinylinfo.org
Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com, www.achievegreen.net, and www.vinylinfo.org.