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News
Celebrating National Water Quality Month
Water is essential to life. As Americans, many of us probably don’t think twice about the water coming out of our taps. At times we may be inconvenienced by a boil water advisory when there’s a water main break. Or some of us may prefer bottled water or filtered water, but there still often isn’t a concern that the water you use to brush your teeth or shower with isn’t safe to use.
But that’s not the case for everyone – even in the U.S.
Many Americans don’t have clean water.
Take Flint, Michigan, as just one example. As part of a cost-saving effort in 2014 the city switched from the Detroit water supply and began drawing water from the Flint River. But after treatment, the water was so corrosive it began degrading the city’s already deteriorating water infrastructure. The corrosion caused lead particulates from metal pipes to leach into the water itself, and some tested water samples contained lead levels high enough to meet the EPA’s definition of toxic waste.
And in some rural areas, it’s too expensive or too difficult to pump in treated city water. These Americans are then forced to haul water or use contaminated water sources. Nonprofits, like Water Well Trust, are building individual or small, shared wells to provide clean drinking water.
PVC pipe delivers clean water.
This August, we’re celebrating National Water Quality Month, which is dedicated to making the most of the fresh water we have, “because having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment.”
We are proud of the role PVC pipe plays in water infrastructure and clean water delivery. In a recent survey of engineers, contractors, and municipal employees, we were pleased to find that PVC piping is a preferred material for water infrastructure. And it’s for good reason. PVC has the lowest break rate compared to any other material – so cities can worry less about water main breaks and boil water advisories. In addition, PVC pipe is lead-free and won’t corrode like other metal pipes, so there’s no possibility of lead leaching into the water stream.