TRY TACKLING A CORROSION INVESTIGATION.

Water main corrosion is a problem generating intense interest in the water industry at the moment. Discussions on internal water main corrosion are frequent at professional meetings and in print. It is not uncommon for utility managers to perceive that corrosion investigations are beyond their expertise and to purchase the services of consulting firms. While this is the proper course in many cases, there are a number of preliminary steps which can and should be taken by a utility itself. At the very least, the water utility should be able to document the existence or non-existence of a corrosion problem and qualitatively assess its severity. The experience of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in keeping track of internal corrosion in its water distribution system could help other utilities assess the level of corrosion in their systems.