Digging up a sewer can mean paying to rebuild the street above it.
In New Orleans’ French Quarter, Manhattan, or downtown Chicago, replacing wastewater infrastructure means finding room for excavation while managing lane closures, traffic, and access to homes and businesses. Joseph Talley of Imerys explains why repairing structures in place can reduce the expense and disruption.
Spray-applied linings offer one approach to rehabilitate and protect concrete wastewater structures against biogenic corrosion—the deterioration caused by sulfuric acid produced through bacterial activity in sewers. Crews apply the material inside existing structures, reducing the need to excavate and replace them.
Talley says these repairs can be completed quickly and at a fraction of replacement costs, with less interruption to sewer service and traffic. The advantage is especially significant in dense urban neighborhoods, where even closing one lane creates complications.
The cost comparison extends beyond the sewer—to everything that must be dug up, diverted, and restored to reach it.
Episode at https://www.waterloop.org/the-chemistry-eating-our-sewers/
#sewers #infrastructure #wastewater #construction #watermanagement
