How Pipeline Material Selection Can Mitigate Challenges of AWWA SOTWI Survey

The American Water Works Association State of the Water Industry (SOTWI) survey has been conducted each year over the past 20 years to provide an industry-wide self-assessment. This report for 2023 identifies as the number one challenge Rehabilitation and Replacement of Aging Infrastructure, with Financing for Capital Improvements ranked number three, Water Conservation/Efficiency ranked number 11, and Water Loss Control and Energy Use/Efficiency and Cost being, respectively, ranked number 17 and 18 in the top 20 list of challenges. Each of these challenges just noted are directly affected by a water utility's underground infrastructure and the pipeline material selected for use. This paper will focus on ways in which the proper selection of pipeline material will enhance the utility's efforts in addressing these significant challenges. The most commonly used materials for underground drinking water infrastructure in the United States are Ductile Iron and PVC pipe. It has been determined by various studies and engineering applications that these pipeline materials have differing estimated service life, resistance to internal and external forces, which may result in underground leakage thus unaccounted for water and differing hydraulic efficiency which directly relates to energy savings (or not) by the utility over the life span of the pipeline. These differing components will be empirically presented and discussed in this paper, recognizing that certain comparative criteria may extend to other utilized material as well. Additionally, contained in this SOTWI survey is a section addressing Large-Scale Phenomena, including extreme weather events and pipeline material functionality. This component will also be discussed, and it constitutes a sixth challenge to the utility.