Services for Municipalities

Corrosion Services provides cathodic protection solutions for municipalities. The company trains municipal water departments and sewage department personnel to monitor and protect their own water mains, water storage tanks and sewage plants. Corrosion Services surveys corrosion hot spots, and then trains these personnel to apply cathodic protection of his design to these areas. For more information about the technique of cathodic protection, see The Solution to Destructive Water Main Breaks.

Cathodic protection systems are ideal for municipalities striving to meet a tight budget, address issues quickly, and save capital and maintenance costs.

The cathodic protection program of the Region of Durham, Ontario, Water Department illustrates the benefits of a municipal cathodic protection program. The Durham program commenced in 1983. In the 26 years of its life, a total of $5.2 million was spent to install more than 18,000 anodes to protect more than 130 miles of ductile and cast iron mains. The estimated cost of replacing the old water mains with polyethylene or PVC was more than $172 million.

The two photos below show details of Durham's cathodic protection program.

In the photo above, there are two trucks in the background. Men in the far truck backfill and remedy the excavation site to its original condition. The truck in the middle carries anodes with welding equipment needed to attach the anodes to the water main. The truck in the foreground augers the anode holes.

This photo shows the method for attaching the anode to the water main. The anode inside its container in the cardboard tube is about 10 inches in diameter and weighs 30 lbs. The anode has a lead wire that is about 10 feet long. The end of the wire is brazed remotely to the water main 6-10 feet below the surface.

In one day, a trained crew can install 35-50 anodes for approximately 700 to 1000 feet of pipe. The cost, including engineering, is about $350 per anode. This is equivalent to about $17.50 per foot of a 20-foot long ductile iron pipe. Replacement cost of the same 20-foot long pipe is over $3,000 in a no-traffic suburbia zone. In a city center, with emergency repairs, the cost can be more than $20,000.

Comprehensive information about this program can be found in the Region of Durham Works Department Cathodic Protection Program (1983-2007) 2007 Annual Report (PDF format). Courtesy of: Dale R. Clemens, Water Department, Region of Durham, Ontario, Canada.