Today, most water systems serve the public in two ways: by providing potable drinking water and enabling fire protection for the community. Fire protection provides more than just the obvious public safety benefits. It also enhances community property values and provides residents with lower home and property insurance rates.
Have you ever wondered what’s behind the AWWA standards? What do they mean? And why do we need them? They’re listed all the time in specifications, mysterious numbers on plans. Have you ever reviewed them to know why they are important for working with Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe)? In this Iron Strong Blog, we will briefly cover some of the applicable standards for DI pipe and how they help you complete your job safely, successfully, and on time.
Polyethylene Encasement (Polywrap) was first used in 1958 and has successfully protected millions of feet of both cast and Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe). It has been the most popular method of corrosion control for DI pipe throughout the years. Today, it is the most widely used method of protecting DI pipe in corrosive environments.
We in the United States are most fortunate, for the most part, to have access to safe, clean drinking water. Even when traveling, we are not hesitant to draw water from a hotel faucet to brush our teeth or even fill a glass to drink. This privilege is no accident.
At McWane Ductile, we are proud to manufacture the strongest, most durable, and most flexible piping material available to the waterworks industry. Even with these great attributes, we still take great care when handling Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe). In this Iron Strong Blog, we’ll cover some key tips to safely handling your DI pipe once it arrives at your job site and throughout the construction or your pipeline project.
This Blog Reflects Significant Updates for Envision Manual V3. As we know, America's infrastructure is in crisis! According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the estimated investment needed is $1 Trillion over the next 25 years for underground water infrastructure. This investment, as well as the ever-increasing cost of electricity, limited water supply, ever-decreasing natural resources, and environmental concerns, are driving the need for change. Change on how infrastructure is designed and constructed – utilizing more sustainable design and construction practices. ENVISION is designed to provide guidelines for these changes to North American infrastructure. In short, it is a rating system approach very similar to LEED Building Certification; however, with the focus on infrastructure.
Envision not only asks, ‘Are we doing the project right?’ but also, ‘Are we doing the right project?’
In this third installment about Sustainability and Resiliency for our Iron Strong Blog, we are focusing on the resiliency of pipe and pipelines as a result of natural disasters such as storms, floods, and wildfires. While earthquakes and seismic events also need to be considered, much has been written on those aspects and we will discuss them in our next installment. Resiliency means many different things to many different people, and its definition is often a matter of perspective and need. Put simply, resiliency is the ability to survive, resist, or recover from damage due to some external hazard.
With the turn of the calendar into a new year, many people have already started planning for the coming months. Whether planning that warm weather vacation to take a mental break from the snow and ice many of us are experiencing or planning our grocery list for the week ahead, good planning leads to successful outcomes. This preparation is also the case with water utility projects.
Jerry, Sept 24, 2022; I'm sitting on the beach near the northern tip of Captiva Island, Florida. I’m on vacation with my wife, enjoying the warm sun, dolphins playing, and birds feeding as if there was no care in the world. Admittedly, most people in the area were already aware of the tropical storm developing in the Caribbean Sea and wondered, will the storm become a hurricane?
The water industry in the United States has experienced many challenges throughout the years. The good news is that these challenges have been met head-on by experienced, dedicated professionals who continue to provide their customers with clean, safe drinking water even though the bar of excellence continues to rise. One measure depicting the priority of these challenges is the State of the Water Industry Survey, conducted annually by the American Water Works Association. “AWWA’s State of the Water Industry (SOTWI) Survey is designed to identify water sector challenges and investigate possible underlying causes and drivers. In November 2022, when the survey closed, 4,123 water professionals had shared their opinions by responding to the survey—our highest number of responses yet!”(1)
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