Published: Jan 21, 2014 | 09:00 AM

IRWD Infrastructure – What you Don’t See Working for You

If you were able to see a map of the vast network of pipes and lines in the Irvine Ranch Water District’s service area, it would resemble a bowl of brightly colored spaghetti. The pipes and lines provide drinking water, recycled water for irrigation and other uses and other pipes carry the wastewater away.

The lines and pipes are designed for long service and can be costly or disruptive to repair and replace them.          IRWD water lines can range in size from 60 inches to large supply mains and down to 4 inches to serve homes on a residential street.

Throughout the distribution system, pressures, volu8mes and site conditions can vary greatly, but each element must be designed for a maximum use scenario, such as the heavy demands during the summer irrigation season or for the large volumes needed to fight a fire. Because of these different applications, pipe construction is important to the engineers who design the system.

Many factors can affect the service time of a pipe, depending on the material it is made from – iron, cement, plastic or steel. Are the pipes prone to corrosion, or are the lines and their joints able to stand under earth movement, such as earthquakes, landslides, and traffic vibration.

Other factors include expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, how they are joined together and large variations in the volumes and pressure of the water. Additionally, the pipe must bear the weight of the material under which it is buried.

A construction accident can damage a pipe, either immediately or later, when it develops corrosion at the point of impact. IRWD has a database of the location, age and material of all lines and pipes in the distribution system. Pipes and valves are routinely inspected and tested. Our Leak Detection crews are somewhere in the service area daily checking for leaks. Whenever there is a leak, or pipe failure, the cause is carefully analyzed while repairs are made.

More information about IRWD infrastructure is available on our website.