Science tells when a sewage pipe needs repair, before it bursts

Boulder, CO – Aging infrastructure – in particular sewer systems – is a topic most people would prefer to avoid, but broken pipes leaking raw sewage into streets and living rooms in many cities are forcing the issue. To better predict which pipes need to be fixed, scientists report in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology that certain conditions in the pipes can clue utilities in to which ones need repair — before it’s too late.

Mark T. Hernandez and colleagues note that part of the problem is corrosion caused by sewer gases that feed acid-generating microbes, which grown in biofilms on the inside top surface of the pipes. Although microbe communities have long been recognized as a factor in the corrosion of concrete pipes, they have not been well studied. To fill in the gaps, Hernandez’s team decided to figure out what kinds of bacteria and other conditions were most closely associated with corrosion problems.

From 10 different sewer systems in major cities around the United States, the scientists measured bacterial diversity, gas concentrations in the air above the wastewater and other factors. In the most worn pipes, they found markedly little variety in the kinds of bacteria present, as well as elevated levels of both hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide gases. The researchers concluded that wastewater utilities could economically monitor combinations of these gases in sewage pipes to figure out which sites might be at higher risk for corrosion and take the necessary steps to prevent major damage.