![]() Sometimes, though, a customer will be reluctant. This first step toward balanced solutions requires understanding when it’s better to repair or replace aging pipes. As more pipes come to the end of their lifespans, working with customers and cities is preferable to working around them. Other times, corrosive soil and old materials require complete replacements. Whether it’s a buildup of grime, pollutants, biofilm or sludge, a good cleaning may sometimes suffice. Finding the balance of satisfying customers and addressing the infrastructure’s needs can be a hassle, with contractors trying to maintain a positive track record. Repairs will suffice in some areas, but others will need radical restructuring. Replacements can cost a resident hundreds or thousands of dollars and cost a city millions.Ī more practical solution is to work on the pipes in parts. Utilities and contractors may have to shut off water access for prolonged periods, and the prices can turn some cities and residents away. However, the dispersion of aging pipes around the U.S. Thus, with such low scores, it’s likely that plenty of locations around the country need repairs or replacements. In more suburban or rural areas, the water infrastructure branches out to individual homes and properties. can’t afford to lack good piping as well-the costs add up too quickly.Ĭities rely on these pipes to provide millions of residents with water for drinking, bathing, cleaning and more. With an ongoing water scarcity crisis throughout the world, the U.S. However, aging pipes are too critical to ignore-the time to solve these issues is now.īack in 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers Foundation’s Infrastructure Report Card gave the United States a D+ for overall water infrastructure and a D for drinking water-a grim wake-up call. The added noise from repairs to the pipes can irritate residents as well. Shutting off water is a nuisance to many and can cause customer satisfaction to drop. Working with cities and homeowners can be difficult in this industry. The 2013 Los Angeles incident shows the destruction well. Aging pipes do indeed have that potentially devastating power and influence. On a citywide level, roads can buckle, sinkholes can form and floods can become more common. The damage to homes and businesses includes foundational harm and a potential buildup of hazardous substances like mold. Water infrastructure needs come in all shapes and sizes, especially when the pipes are old and pose a risk. Utility and contractor customers could range from city officials to a landlord to a homeowner. The focus is on getting cities, communities and individual residents to understand the urgency of piping solutions. The LA Times estimates that the city will need to spend $1 billion to replace aging waterworks. Leaks become the best-case scenario, and floods become more likely. Los Angeles is only one city in the United States, but this incident is a case study for what happens when water infrastructure reaches the end of its useful life. This example is one of many disasters that come with aging pipes. Locals in the area ended up without water for several hours as city officials worked to repair the issue. ![]() The damage happened quickly, with gallons of water flooding the streets and eventually making its way toward businesses and residences. In 2013, a water main broke in Los Angeles and flooded Nowita Place. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |