Note From The Editor
Greetings Discerning Readers,

According to the Census Bureau, America will top 300 million in population some time this week and by the year 2030; Westerners will outnumber Northeasterners and Midwesterners.  Yes, despite being more educated than ever before, Americans are moving to where there is no water.  We have to save them.

Of course, I’m speaking of bringing water to the West in polyethylene (PE) pipe so that it doesn’t leak out and make everyone sue each other over what little water remains.  There are several rumors of giant pipelines crossing hundreds of miles to bring water to parched people all over the West.  The new neighborhoods that are popping up in many of the deserts have brand new piping systems that are designed with an allowable leak rate and will waste water at a growing percentage for the lifespan of the system.  We need to make sure those pipelines are made of polyethylene---so that no water is wasted. 

One ally that the polyethylene industry needs to befriend and educate for these projects is the Green Building movement.  The main thrust of the movement is that when construction projects are designed and operated with their lifecycle impacts in mind, they can provide greater environmental, economic, and social benefits.

Green Building is no longer viewed as a passing fad or some strange concept adopted by militant environmentalists who chain themselves atop redwood trees on the West Coast and eat granola all day.  In fact, the editors of Harvard Business Review dedicated a large amount of space in their June 2006 issue to explain how green building is now an established mainstream building practice.  And according to a survey by the National Association of Homebuilders, more than half of their members are using green building practices in their new homes to be able to compete in today’s housing market.  But here-in lies the problem – the green organizations don’t know about us, or the environmental benefits of PE.

One of the reasons they don’t know about PE is that the pipe has mostly been geared toward gas pipeline construction.  Even five or six short years ago, PE pipe for water applications was generally regarded as a pipe only suitable for difficult projects like creek and river crossings.  Since then, hundreds of case studies and pilot projects utilizing PE for standard water applications have proven the financial advantages of the pipe from reduced construction costs to lower operating costs.  And its biggest benefit of all is something the West really needs and doesn’t know exist – a pipe that doesn’t leak.  Also don’t forget that it will  last longer than any other pipe in the world.    

Drew L. Wilson;
Editor

(918) 831-9286

State Of the Infrastructure

The expanding success of polyethylene piping systems has continued to be the focus of additional industrial research and development and today the industry is preparing to commercialize a new level of technical performance for these high quality piping products.  These new piping materials will be referred to as PE4710 and they hold the potential for continued growth in the use of HDPE piping within the construction industry.  In this discussion, we will briefly examine the nature of the improvement that has been made in these piping products and the overall impact that these products will have in the use of these modern piping systems.  Click here to read more

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McElroy Connections is published by McElroy Manufacturing Inc. The information contained within each issue is meant as a service to our customers, distributors, and those involved with Polyethylene Pipe applications.