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.
Safe drinking water is essential for sustainable human life. Do you lie awake at night wondering if the water you are drinking is safe? Do you dream about the type of water lines used to transport water to your home or business?
If you are a design engineer or an official responsible for providing clean, safe water to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of residents, then you are most likely the type of person who dedicates a major portion of your time thinking about water quality.
Thankfully, there are entities and standards in place to ensure that products used in water transportation systems are of the utmost quality. In this blog, we’ll discuss the who, what, why, and how products designed to transport safe drinking water are monitored and tested during the manufacturing process at McWane Ductile to meet quality standards.
For buried pipelines, there can be several soil conditions that adversely affect water quality via permeation. As a waterworks professional, you most likely will ask “Where and when might these harmful conditions be present, or even potentially develop, and what solution is available to best protect my water system from this issue? We will look at several of the more common risks in this article and discuss protective measures that can be utilized. These risks can include contaminated soils from areas in or near older landfills, industrial sites, and abandoned or leaking fuel tanks, to mention a few.
As of October 2020, more than 47,000 wildfires have occurred across 36 U.S. states. Drought is a major factor, as a large portion of the West is currently experiencing the most severe level of drought, dubbed “exceptional drought” by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Humans cause the majority of wildfires with negligence such as unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes or arson, followed by natural causes such as unusually long-lasting hot lightning bolts. (U.S. Drought Monitor, 2012)
My local water utility recently contacted our home to inform us they were turning the water off from noon to 6:00 p.m. to repair a newly discovered water leak. This situation made me think about water loss, specifically how long the water line had been leaking, how many gallons of treated water was lost, and how a utility keeps up with water loss. This Iron Strong Blog describes the various components of a Water Loss Control Plan (WLCP) and the importance Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) plays in an overall water management strategy.
Over the course of my 30+ year career with McWane Ductile, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of some remarkably interesting and detailed water pipeline projects. Several of these projects have required a partnership between the community, awarding authority, contractor, water works distributor, and material manufacturer to ensure the projects were installed efficiently and correctly. However, few have matched the scale, complexity, and collaborative effort of the Saugus River crossing—part of the massive Belden Bly Bridge Replacement Project in Massachusetts. This project stands out not only for its technical challenges but also for the preparation, planning, and collaboration of key partners that brought it to a successful conclusion. In this #IronStrong Blog, you’ll hear the when, why, who, and how of this complex and intricate Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) waterway crossing.
In years past, gray cast iron pipe was originally sold with no lining or coating on the pipe's interior. After many years of study, it became apparent that the inside of cast iron pipe might be affected by certain types of water. In this Iron Strong Blog, we will describe tuberculation, why it happened in older iron pipe, and the modern solution for tuberculation.
Providing safe, clean water to customers of a water utility is unquestionably JOB ONE. Meeting this goal has always been a formidable challenge in many ways. Source water quality can change dramatically due to weather factors and other phenomena. Additionally, increasing drinking water standards throughout the years evidencing higher detection technology and more sophisticated medical research regarding the health effects of contaminants has required water systems in some cases to change treatment methodologies dramatically.
Should the pipeline material placed in a drinking water system in any way limit decisions of today or in the future regarding the water treatment methodology chosen to best provide safe, clean water to customers? I THINK NOT!
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