AC Pipe in North America: Inventory, Breakage, and Working Environments
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 1, Issue 4
Abstract
Asbestos cement (AC) pipe constitutes a significant portion of the water distribution pipes still in service in many North American cities. To understand the state of the AC pipe inventory in North America, a survey was conducted of utilities with a large percentage of AC pipes in their water distribution systems. The survey included questions about pipe inventory, breakage, working environments, rehabilitation/replacement practices, and safety- and health-related management practices. This paper summarizes data from the inventory, breakage, and working environment portions of the survey. The survey obtained relatively complete inventory information for pipe length, size, years of service, breakage condition, and water quality. Information about the nature of the soils surrounding AC pipes was limited. The survey indicated that utility managers’ perceptions of water and soil environments were not always consistent with water and soil test results. Survey data analysis identified pipe age, water quality, and pipe size as important factors contributing to the failure of AC pipes in North America.
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Acknowledgments
The writers wish to acknowledge the financial support of the National Research Council and the Water Research Foundation (formerly AwwaRF). We also thank Dr. Jian Zhang, the project manager of the WRF project, and members of the project advisor committee, Toni Lyons, Steve MacKellar, Showri Nandagiri, and Julie Spacht, for their critiques during the development of the survey questionnaire. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the 20 participating utilities for submitting detailed AC pipe information.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 1 • Issue 4 • November 2010
Pages: 156 - 172
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 6, 2010
Accepted: May 21, 2010
Published online: Oct 15, 2010
Published in print: Nov 2010
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