PVC Pipe Helping Cities Save Water, Energy, Money

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PVC Pipe Helping Cities Save Water, Energy, Money - Tuesday, October 31, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 26, 2006 (VNS) -- PVC water and wastewater piping systems are helping the nation’s municipalities save water, save energy and save money, according to industry and independent experts.

They are increasingly being selected for new developments and to replace the aging, corroded iron and reinforced concrete pipes that are wasting nearly 6 billion gallons of water every day in the United States and costing municipalities $36 billion annually in repairs and replacements, according to Plastics News.

In an op-ed, reporter Matt Griswold urges municipalities to invest citizens’ future tax dollars in plastic pipe, “a proven commodity.” PVC pipes have a life expectancy of at least 100 years.

“On a linear basis, vinyl (PVC) piping now accounts for over 78 percent of all new drinking water pipe being installed in North America and more than 81 percent of all new wastewater piping, according to a buried piped market research study completed last year,” said Bob Walker, executive director of Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association in Dallas.

In a letter to the Carroll County Times, Walker notes that vinyl “is one of the most tested and thoroughly evaluated materials in use today” and vinyl pipes approved for drinking water and fire protection systems meet “uncompromised levels of safety, performance and sustainability.”

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