Post Tagged with: "water main breaks"

Water Main Breaks & National Trends: A Broader Context

Water Main Breaks & National Trends: A Broader Context

By Greg Baird WaterOne’s journey toward resilient infrastructure through PVC adoption, discussed in Water Finance & Management’s Q4 cover story, is part of a larger national narrative. The 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card assigns a C grade to the nation’s drinking water systems — unchangedRead More

Resilient Infrastructure through Informed Decisions: WaterOne’s Pipe Journey

Resilient Infrastructure through Informed Decisions: WaterOne’s Pipe Journey

Pipe Selection, Rehab & Replacement, Water Management December 8, 2025 at 10:45 am

By Shaun Pietig WaterOne is the largest water utility in Kansas, serving more than 475,000 customers across 17 cities and unincorporated areas in Johnson County. Since our founding in 1957, we’ve grown from a modest operation supplying 5 million gallons per day to a robustRead More

Large Diameter Concrete Water Main Failures

Large Diameter Concrete Water Main Failures

Condition Assessment, Water Management May 27, 2025 at 8:15 am

System Owners Keenly Aware of the Importance of Condition Assessment in Preventing Catastrophic Problems By Mike Kezdi Water system owners have long known that certain vintage pressurized concrete pipes can break at a moment’s notice. When looking at concrete pressure pipe for water applications thereRead More

Close up to blue plastic pipe background, PVC pipes stacked in warehouse,  PVC water pipes used for construction

Commentary: Americans Deserve Accurate Information about PVC Pipe for Drinking Water

Commentary, Pipe Selection, Water Loss, Water Management January 6, 2025 at 6:15 am

By Anne Austin Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plays a critical role in modern infrastructure and everyday life. Used safely for nearly a century, PVC provides essential benefits in applications ranging from water and sewer systems to medical devices, flooring and even automotive components, where it helpsRead More

Company unveils predictive modeling for water mains

Company unveils predictive modeling for water mains

Condition Assessment, Water Management June 20, 2024 at 7:05 am

BlueConduit recently announced the launch its newest offering: water main prediction technology. Building on the success of its predictive models for lead service lines, the company said it is looking to extend its expertise to help cities and water systems tackle the challenges of waterRead More

Water Main Breaks: U.S. & Canada

Water Main Breaks: U.S. & Canada

Photos and charts courtesy of Utah State University. Analyzing Utah State University’s Third Study Examining Break Rates For all the out-of-sight, out-of-mind infrastructure we talk about in the water utility sector, water main breaks may be one of the more visible events that remind theRead More

Water main break study highlights correlation between material, diameter

Water main break study highlights correlation between material, diameter

Utah State University (USU) has published new research on water main breaks in the United States and Canada, examining break rates and related factors such as pipe material and diameter. It is the third such study conducted by USU with previous versions in 2012 andRead More

The Water Pipe Market Shifts to Sustainable PVC in Times of Growth & Drought

The Water Pipe Market Shifts to Sustainable PVC in Times of Growth & Drought

| By Gregory M. Baird Cities across the United States are struggling with maintaining existing infrastructure with supply chain disruptions and rising costs of equipment, manpower and supplies. Likewise, developers are faced with many challenges to plan, finance and build basic infrastructure and housing unitsRead More

The Economics of Water Main Failures

The Economics of Water Main Failures

Water Management April 13, 2020 at 8:16 am

By Alan Ambler Most municipalities that have been maintaining aging infrastructure for decades simply absorb the effort and costs required to repair water main pipeline breaks when they occur. Seldom do many municipalities make the efforts required to track the costs and evaluate the costRead More

Study: Water main breaks up 27 percent in past six years

Study: Water main breaks up 27 percent in past six years

A new study from Utah State University (USU) examines the increasing number of water main breaks across the United States and Canada, as well as associated pipe materials and what the trend could mean for the future of water infrastructure. The study, titled “Water Main Break RatesRead More