A recent study by Utah State University’s (USU) Buried Structures Laboratory has shown an alarming increase in the amount of water main breaks in the U.S. over the past six years. According to the study, break rates have increased 27% in the past six years due to aging infrastructure.[1]
The USU Laboratory has a shared testing facility with the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) where they have conducted a comprehensive study on pipe materials and the durability of current infrastructure. The findings show that most of that pipe material is beyond its useful life.
The 2018 survey represented utility data collected from 14.65% of the total population of the U.S. and Canada comprising 200,000 miles of installed water mains. There were a recorded 23,803 pipe failures that needed repairs which is a significant basis for break data.[2] According to Dr. Steven, author of the survey, failure to update and modernize the water infrastructure would mean enormous pressure on utilities nationwide to speed up their pipe replacement schedules to avoid, “potentially serious economic and social impacts.”[3]
[1] Utah State University. Study Says Pipe Failures Cause for Concern: Break Rates for Almost Half of U.S. Water Mains Up More Than 40% in Six Years. PR Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, PR Newswire, 6 Mar. 2018. Web. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/english-releases/study-says-pipe-failures-cause-for-concern-break-rates-for-almost-half-of-us-water-mains-up-more-than-40-in-six-years-300608999.html [2] Utah State University. Study Says Pipe Failures Cause for Concern: Break Rates for Almost Half of U.S. Water Mains Up More Than 40% in Six Years. PR Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, PR Newswire, 6 Mar. 2018. Web. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/english-releases/study-says-pipe-failures-cause-for-concern-break-rates-for-almost-half-of-us-water-mains-up-more-than-40-in-six-years-300608999.html [3] Utah State University. Study Says Pipe Failures Cause for Concern: Break Rates for Almost Half of U.S. Water Mains Up More Than 40% in Six Years. PR Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, PR Newswire, 6 Mar. 2018. Web. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/english-releases/study-says-pipe-failures-cause-for-concern-break-rates-for-almost-half-of-us-water-mains-up-more-than-40-in-six-years-300608999.html