The State of Infrastructure: Lessons from the Field

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 only a handful of failures reached public reporting channels, each event tells an important story about prevention, coordination, and resilience.

This Month’s Key Trends & Takeaways

1. Third-Party Damage Dominates

Half of the reported incidents this month were caused by outside contractors.What does this tell us? Despite strict locate requirements, safe-dig compliance and pre-construction coordination remain weak links.

Some damage resulted from direct impacts—like boring through a pipe—while others were caused indirectly by nearby construction disturbing already weakened lines.

➡️ Are we doing enough to protect buried infrastructure before shovels hit the ground?

2. Aging Infrastructure, Costly Consequences

A major event in Florida on October 6th underscores a hard truth: deferred maintenance always costs more later. Emergency repairs come with inflated labor, environmental, and reputational costs that could be avoided with proactive rehabilitation.

➡️ How can utilities balance limited budgets with the need for long-term reliability?

3. Rapid Response Saves Time and Reputation

The South Carolina and Florida (October 15th) events showed how decisive action—swift isolation, public communication, and environmental mitigation—can make or break a utility’s public image.

➡️ Does your utility have a tested emergency response plan ready to deploy?

4. Data Gaps = Risk Gaps

Many smaller events never make the news, but the silence doesn’t mean safety. Without consistent internal tracking, utilities lose visibility into patterns that predict future failures.

➡️ Is your team capturing and analyzing “near-misses” as part of its asset management strategy?

What This Means for CPM Clients and Partners

At CPM Pipelines, we translate these lessons into actionable strategies for our clients:

• Strengthen Contractor Oversight: Formalize safe-dig requirements and provide on-site monitoring for all excavations near pressurized mains. Knowing exactly where your assets are is the first line of defense.

• Expand Condition Assessment: Use high-resolution locating and real-time pressure diagnostics to detect stress before it becomes failure.

• Emergency Readiness: Keep SOPs for rapid isolation and bypass pumping up to date—and tested.

• Transparent Communication: Follow best practices from recent successful responses; timely updates build public trust.

• Track Internally: Even a “zero-incident” day matters. Continuous awareness reduces future risk.

➡️ Which of these steps could your organization strengthen today?

CPM Pipelines in Action

At CPM Pipelines, we’re pushing inspection and rehabilitation technology forward—helping utilities keep critical systems operating under pressure, literally.

Our under-pressure inspection tools and BulletLiner System® rehabilitation technology allow for accurate data collection and renewal without shutdowns. The result: minimized downtime, extended asset life, and optimized maintenance planning.

We remain committed to supporting utilities through data-driven asset management, reliable condition assessment, and performance-based renewal strategies that deliver long-term value.

Looking Ahead

As temperatures fluctuate and rainfall increases heading into winter, utilities can expect added stress on aging mains. Upcoming CPM updates will feature:

• Expanded force-main risk mapping

• Highlights from current inspection projects

• A technical spotlight: “Condition Assessment Without Shutdowns”

➡️ Want to see how your system’s performance compares? Subscribe to receive our monthly updates and insights.

Final Word

Every break tells a story—and every lesson learned makes our infrastructure stronger. By studying incidents, sharing insights, and acting proactively, we can build a future where water systems are not just repaired, but resilient.

Stay vigilant. Stay proactive. Stay connected.

—The CPM Pipelines Team