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.
Click here
for article.
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
|