All PipeBreak Posts

Recent reports out of Central Texas underscore a challenge facing water utilities across the United States: the vulnerability of aging and highly interconnected pipeline systems. A failure near the Leon River Bridge disrupted water service for multiple communities, including Rogers, Rosebud, Lott, Buckholts, and several regional water supply corporations across Bell and Falls counties. According to local reporting, the outage triggered emergency conservation measures as crews

Aging water infrastructure presents a growing challenge for utilities across North America. When critical pipelines reach the end of their service life, utilities must balance reliability, cost, and community impact while selecting the most effective rehabilitation solution. That was the challenge facing Cleveland Water along St. Clair Avenue NE in Cleveland, Ohio, where a 385-foot segment of a 24-inch steel water main required rehabilitation to ensure continued service reli

A major sewer pipe collapse near the Potomac River renewed concerns about aging infrastructure and delayed pipeline rehabilitation projects. According to DC Water, approximately 243 million gallons of wastewater overflowed into the Potomac River after a pipeline collapsed on January 19, 2026 in Montgomery County, Maryland, roughly eight miles from the White House. Most of the overflow occurred during the first five days before emergency bypass pumping systems were activated.

When a critical water transmission main fails, especially in a highly constrained environment, the margin for error is slim and the need for rapid response is paramount. A recent emergency project in southern Arizona demonstrates how advanced trenchless solutions can restore infrastructure quickly, safely, and with minimal disruption—even under some of the most challenging conditions. The situation began with a 16-inch ductile iron water transmission main that had been in con

Pressure Pipe Rehabilitation with BulletLiner System® FFRPP Across the United States, utilities are facing the same challenge: aging water infrastructure and limited capital budgets. Traditional open-cut pipe replacement is often costly, disruptive to communities, and environmentally intensive. Fortunately, trenchless rehabilitation technologies provide a smarter alternative. For more than 40 years, trenchless methods have been widely used to rehabilitate gravity pipelines, e

Across the United States, aging water infrastructure is demanding long-overdue attention. For decades, buried assets—largely out of sight and out of mind—have been underfunded and deferred. While drinking water systems often dominate headlines, sewer collection systems are deteriorating just as rapidly. At the center of these systems are sewer wet wells —critical structures responsible for collecting and temporarily storing wastewater before it is pumped to treatment faciliti

For more than 140 years, the City of Marshfield, Wisconsin has maintained a strong commitment to environmental protection and reliable wastewater service. Serving nearly 20,000 residents, the city operates over 138 miles of sanitary sewer infrastructure supported by lift stations and forcemains that transport wastewater to treatment facilities. Like many utilities, Marshfield historically focused inspection and maintenance efforts on gravity sewers, while pressurized forcemai

Roadway collapses and sinkholes often seem to appear without warning. A street suddenly gives way, traffic is disrupted, and emergency crews rush to stabilize the area. But in most cases, the true cause of these failures has been developing quietly for years beneath the surface. Aging pipelines play a significant—and often overlooked—role in undermining roadways. As buried infrastructure deteriorates, it can slowly destabilize the soil and pavement above, eventually leading t

By Chris MacDonald, President – CPM Pipelines Across the water and wastewater industry, one question continues to surface: How will artificial intelligence change pressure pipe inspection and rehabilitation? Much of the concern is rooted in the idea that automation will replace people. But in the pressure pipe world—defined by complex terrain, variable hydraulics, buried utilities, aging materials, and strict regulatory constraints—there are very few tasks that can be reduced

When evaluating rehabilitation options for pressure pipelines, one of the most common questions engineers face is: what matters more—modulus of elasticity or tensile strength? The answer depends entirely on the condition of the host pipe and the structural class of liner required. AWWA doesn’t classify liners by pressure rating. Instead, liners are designated according to the structural role they play in restoring or replacing the pipe wall: Class I – Non-structural: Corrosi

Monthly Update: September 20 – October 20, 2025 Presented by CPM Pipelines – Advancing Water Infrastructure Through Innovation Welcome back to The State of Infrastructure , our monthly report highlighting key force main and sewer main incidents from across the U.S. Between September 20 and October 20, several noteworthy events shed light on the shared challenges utilities face—aging assets, third-party construction damage, and the ever-rising cost of reactive repairs. While o

Our team recently completed a 350-foot rehabilitation project on a 10-inch diameter ductile iron pipe using the H-Series in Northern Arizona-showcasing both efficiency and precision in pipeline renewal. Before lining, we performed a thorough cleaning and CCTV inspection of the line. During this process, we identified a few obstructions and buildup, which our crew addressed to restore the pipe to optimal condition for lining. The team cleaned the line to the best achievable

How CPM Pipelines Delivered a 50-Year Solution with Zero Downtime Water is the lifeblood of steelmaking. From cooling furnaces and...

Trenchless rehabilitation of underground pipelines requires more than just selecting a product—it demands a clear understanding of the...

When aging pipelines need attention, municipalities face two main options: dig and replace, or rehabilitate with a liner system....

Addressing Aging Infrastructure: Lessons from the Past, Solutions for the Future The challenges facing our nation’s infrastructure are...