A study by the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada reported that the average break rate per 100 miles of pipe for ductile iron is 15.87. PVC exhibited only 1.17 breaks per 100 miles of pipe. The NRC report shows that ductile iron pipe breaks 13.57 times more than PVC pipe. This difference in break rates results in significant repair cost differences for PVC and ductile iron.
- 2023 Environmental Product Declaration for PVC Water and Sewer Pipe
- Assessing the Transparency & Reliability of Environmental Product Declarations for Underground Piping
- West Sacramento, CA: A Reflection on Water Pipe Replacement and Affordability and Selecting PVC for Longevity, Quality and Price
- Municipal Procurement: Competitive Bidding for Pipes Demonstrates Significant Local Cost-Savings
- Leveraging the Science of Water and Sustainability: Achieving Public Health Benefits with PVC Pipe Underground Infrastructure
- Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials Report
- Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study (March 2018)
- Hydraulic Analysis: Pumping Costs for PVC and Ductile Iron Pipe
- PVC Pipe Longevity Report: Affordability & The 100+ Benchmark Standard: A Comprehensive Study on PVC Pipe Excavations, Testing & Life Cycle Analysis
- 2015 Environmental Product Declaration for PVC Water and Sewer Pipe
- Study Takes Comprehensive Look at PVC Life Cycle Assessment & Sustainability
- Reforming Our Nation's Approach to the Infrastructure Crisis: How Competition, Oversight and Innovation Can Lower Water and Sewer Rates in the U.S.
- Underground Water Infrastructure: Getting Results in Indianapolis through Continuing Improvement and Modern Materials Procurement Practices
- Municipal Procurement: Procurement Process Improvements Yield Cost-Effective Public Benefits
- Fixing America’s Crumbling Underground Water Infrastructure: Competitive Bidding Offers a Way Out
- Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study (April 2012)
- U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers: Corrosion Costs and Preventative Strategies in the United States, March 2002
- Issue Brief: The Underground Infrastructure Crisis: Rebuilding Water and Sewer Systems without a Flood of Red Ink
- Curing Crumbling Infrastructure and Other Government Waste
- Corrosion, Not Age, is to Blame for Most Water Main Breaks
- Procurement Practices that Impede Rehabilitation of Underground Water Infrastructure
- Viewpoint: Fix procurement rules before fixing faulty pipes
- Article: Pipe Corrosion an Avoidable Budget-Buster
- Article: Getting the Best Bang for the Buck in the Nation's Infrastructure