Are You Considering the Economic Impact of Your Pipe Materials? (Source: Water Finance & Management)

By WFM Staff

WF&M recently sat down with Justin Reeves, P.E., project manager, and Bob Card, P.E., chief pipe engineer, at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), a national planning, engineering and program management firm, to get their take on the economic impact of pipe selection and specification in the water sector. The following discussion provides an overview on pipe materials, design considerations, variables and other project challenges that can impact pipe material selection.

Water Finance & Management: How important are pipe materials as part of a purchasing decision on a water/wastewater project?
The pipe material should be the primary focus in any project and is central to the purchasing decision. Pipe material affects almost everything on the job and therefore, it can have a snowball budget effect. Pipe material can affect trench width, trenchless installation method, thrust restraint, adaptability in the field, cathodic protection requirements, construction footprint, and long-term maintainability. So, it should be an important part of the purchasing decision on every water/wastewater project. Sometimes it is an easy decision, but that doesn’t make it less important.