It’s an all-too-common summer story. Towns and cities that depend on iron water mains waste millions of gallons of treated water as their dated infrastructure fails under the stress of blistering temperatures. These pipe failures deprive residents of the drinking water they need and cost taxpayers and ratepayers a small fortune to repair.
The good news is that municipalities across North America are replacing their crippled iron water infrastructure with affordable, durable PVC piping. But don’t take our word for it; here’s just a sample of the real-world stories that illustrate PVC’s value.
Iron pipes and Texas summers: a costly combo
Last month, thousands of Texans saw firsthand how decrepit water infrastructure can impact everyday life. “Dry, hot weather causing Dallas-area water main breaks,” Axios reported on August 21. Soaring water use driven by intense summer heat led to “hundreds” of leaks in aging cast-iron pipes, forcing residents to endure mandatory use restrictions and boil drinking water to prevent contamination—as temperatures hit 114 degrees fahrenheit.
Area water utilities plugged these leaks throughout August, but the problem stretches across the region. According to the Texas Water Authority, “the state lost about 132 million gallons of water from breaks and leaks” in 2021. In 2023 alone, Fort Worth endured 370 main breaks, with 130 occurring between July 13 and August 13. Fed up with these unsustainable circumstances, Fort Worth is “working to replace” its 800-mile network of cast-iron water pipes with PVC, Axios added.
Dallas-Fort Worth isn’t the only region of Texas that has recently turned to PVC. West University Place, a sprawling suburb just outside Houston, invested $2.5 million this year to replace “approximately 2,400 linear feet of aged cast iron pipes with new and larger PVC pipes,” NPR noted in late August.
Like its neighbors to the north, the city recognizes that 80-year-old iron pipes and intense weather are a risky combination. The upgraded PVC piping “will enhance our water distribution capabilities,” Mayor Susan Sample declared.
Why PVC?
These stories are part of a larger trend of communities across North America—big and small, rural and urban—upgrading their water distribution systems with PVC. From California and Texas to Michigan and Ontario, these municipalities understand that PVC is a sustainable, affordable material that can reliably deliver clean drinking water to their residents. Relying on inferior alternatives simply isn’t worth the risk.