Use of Soil Maps to Predict the Incidence of Corrosion and the Need for Iron Mains Renewal

The requirement for revised asset management plans from water‐supply companies and the need to prioritize the renewal of buried water‐supply pipework has stimulated an interest in the spatial distribution of corrosion risk and intensity. This paper reports how the relationships between soil corrosion and the spatial distribution of soil types, as displayed on soil maps, can be combined to predict the likely incidence of aggressive soils and thereby identify those water mains which are most likely to need early replacement. The concept is illustrated by a project supported by Portsmouth Water plc.