Long-term Delaware residents understand cold weather pains and joys accompanying temperatures from below-freezing and the upper 40s.  The sledding, scraping car windows, zippers when your hands are cold – remember velcro jackets?  How about snow tires and winterizing your pipes?  Did you know that during an east coast winter, there are 3 to 5 main breaks a day?  That number increases as the temperature decreases.

Why Do Burst Pipes Happen More In Winter?

There are a few moving parts on why bursts happen more as temperatures drop:

• Aging infrastructure amplifies the likelihood of pipes bursting
• Water in soil freezes at 32 degrees (the frost line is about 32” or a little over 2 ft)
• Water mains succumb to the increased force

Winter air amplifies pre-existing problems if there is no preventative maintenance plan; cold weather wreaks havoc.  If you want to get ahead of this and request an inspection, you can do so [here].  Water mains and distribution lines are generally 3 feet or more below ground. As a result, frost lines crawl deeper with persistent frozen temperatures and longer winters.  

The weight of the frozen soil pushes double the downward force (about 400 pounds of downward force or more) on each foot of pipe.  The pipes crack under the added pressure and the breath of thermal contractions (expanding in heat and contracting in the cold).  The age and material of the pipe make a significant difference in its integrity to withstand the winter.  Unfortunately, no crystal ball can determine how long winter will last.  Taking proactive measures with scheduled inspections and maintenance will help decrease the burden of winter pipes.  Observation is also a powerful tool, such as keeping an eye open for water leaks.

How Do You Know There is a Water Leak?

Never ignore a water leak.  There are horror stories that begin with a drip from a pipe and end with extensive and expensive repairs that did not need to occur.  Leaks below ground require vigilance and attention to detail to detect.  They are not as evident as above-ground leaks.  If you observe these signs, you may want to investigate further:

• Sound of moving water or hissing coming from beneath the surface
• Sewage smells
• Increased water use/bills
• Water pooling or flooding on the surface
• Sinkholes/indentions or soft ground
• Patch of dead grass in a field of green
• Broken or cracked concrete slabs

If you observe any of these items, the best practice is to call a professional to investigate and nip problems in the bud before they start.  If you do not attend to a leak, it will evolve into something sinister and expensive-like teenagers.  Take control and set firm boundaries with your pipes at the first sign of trouble.  If you don’t, you will contribute to the 1 trillion gallons of water the US wastes annually.  This affects all of us.  Wasted water means tax dollars and utility increases.  Preventative maintenance schedules are crucial, especially for busy municipalities, homeowner associations, parks & rec, non-profit, and government agencies supervising extensive amounts of land.

Lurking Below: Parks, Schools, and Cemeteries

What do all of these entities have in common?  Cemeteries are often repurposed into parks and schools.  The next question you may have is, are the bodies moved?  The answer is not necessarily.  For example, As construction was started on Arch Street in Philadelphia in 2017, coffins began popping up all over the place from a cemetery that was supposed to have been relocated.  The First Baptist Church Burial Ground was established in 1707 and was believed to be relocated in 1859 to the Mount Moriah Cemetery.  The headstones were indeed moved; the bodies stayed.  More than 400 people’s remains are currently being analyzed for identification. This is where preventative maintenance and drainage become critically important.  

Title 12 of the Delaware Code speaks to perpetual care, and for the scope of this article, it is enough to say that maintenance is a mandatory consideration. Unfortunately, uncovering lost and forgotten grave sites is a semi-frequent occurrence when digging, such as in Frankford, Delaware.  Fortunately, Delaware has a procedure for when this happens, and it is bound to happen as there are 15 people underground for every person above ground, but that is a different story.  A vast array of problems are caused when leaks occur around these historic underground.

Why Groundwater & Wastewater Testing

We recently posted a blog on wastewater testing to identify and diagnose pathogen issues that scratched the surface of problems and solutions.  Another problem to consider with the rich history of the First State is toxins.  We have Abraham Lincoln to thank for embalming.  His pioneering efforts and investment allowed people time for closure; however, what could not be anticipated was the lingering effect on the water table.

Formaldehyde was used for everything from cleaning and women’s health to embalming practices through the 1980s until it was banned in certain products. Although formaldehyde has been banned in product usage – it remains the Mrs. Congeniality in funeral homes.  Formaldehyde is a carcinogen.  According to Wikipedia:

A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes.

It ranks with tobacco, asbestos, radon, and other lethal items. Embalmed bodies go into the ground.  There is no dispute among the medical community that formaldehyde causes cancer.  For the medical community to agree so absolutely is unheard of.  Some embalming fluids are hallucinogenic, which do not alter their state and stay in the earth forever.  These fluids average one gallon for every 50 pounds the human weighs.  This calculation brings the total weight of ONE body to about 2 tons.  Nearly 800,000 gallons (more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool) of formaldehyde are soaking into the ground with bodies every year.

So back to the point, leaks happen as materials break down.  Where does the decomposition sludge of toxic substances and bodies go;  our water table. Memorial Parks and cemeteries require tremendous upkeep, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and water to maintain the pristine features, which also contributes to the water table.  According to a recent study, interred bodies impact groundwater with transferrable diseases and pathogens.  Water testing has become a focal point, and identifying leaks is more critical for health, safety, and welfare.  Pathogens infuse into the groundwater with rain, making storm drainage and preventative maintenance essential.  Other things are lurking below the surface as well.

Buried Oil Tanks in Delaware

Occasionally Delaware homeowners are in for a surprise with a buried treasure of the oil tank variety.  Delaware has a fund (limited to tanks smaller than 1,100) that assists homeowners in removing the oil tanks. Unfortunately, oil tanks are not small and have been buried across Delaware and neighboring states.  These corroded monstrosities range from 500-gallon tanks or larger ones and bleed into the soil around unsuspecting homes.

Our Infrastructure Needs Time, Attention & TLC

This country’s average age of 1.6 million miles of water and sewer pipe is 47 years old, with over 10 million lead pipes threatening to leak into the water supply.  Aging, corroded pipes are creating a public health emergency throughout the US.  In Delaware, the drinking water improvements require $806 million, and 63 dams are high-hazard status, according to the ASCE.  To exacerbate these challenges, the infrastructure in Delaware is deteriorating, which decreases the ability to be globally competitive.  Immediate, considerable contribution from all levels is required to de-escalate this situation.  

Standard Pipe Services, LLC is committed to investing in Delaware and surrounding communities to enhance procedures and explore innovative and cost-effective solutions and long term.  Standard Pipe Services sets the standard for quality, innovation, and accountability in pipe rehabilitation and infrastructure renewal.  Contact us today to assist in the development of your project.  Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter and join the conversation!