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The Silver Bullet for Aging Water Distribution Systems?
Author(s) -
Baird Gregory M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2011.tb11467.x
Subject(s) - carbon footprint , polyvinyl chloride , silver bullet , water pipe , bottled water , sustainability , activity based costing , wastewater , waste management , blackwater , business , environmental science , life cycle costing , natural resource economics , environmental economics , engineering , environmental engineering , greenhouse gas , operations management , materials science , economics , metallurgy , geology , mechanical engineering , ecology , oceanography , marketing , composite material , inlet , biology
This article presents polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe as the silver bullet to meet the challenges and costs associated with the aging water infrastructure crisis for water and wastewater systems. PVC pipe has a smooth, noncorrosive, and bacteria‐resistant surface that stays clean for decades. The article discusses the areas of the country that have the highest pipe failures, replacement costs, developer fees and ratepayer affordability, life‐cycle costing, carbon footprint testing, leak detection monitoring of PVC pipes, and affordable pipe sustainability.