Flint water crisis: the effects of corrosion!

                                                                         foto: Rebecca Cook/Reuters

This event was meant to show us the importance of identifying vulnerabilities in the infrastructure. Even new installations may be affected by corrosion or abrasion, and the effects will be seen. In this case, the local community drinking water supplie was affected .

Use of natural resources

When opting for the supply of water from a natural spring, as was happening in the city of Flint a few years ago, engages a company that carry out a study of the water and identifying the necessary treatment to make the water drinkable. It is a complex process and requires a lot of approvals from authorities. Absolutely normal, considering that  people's safety is in the game.

Series of mistakes

It went on a cost reduction policy, until the city to joined the regional network. It was invested a sum of $ 171,000 for the purchasing of equipment necessary for water treatment of Flint River. Water supply sources, such as lakes or rivers, have always represented a challenge in terms of the treatment process.

Compared with groundwater, surface waters tend to contain more particles, microorganisms, organic material and various contaminants. Also, surface waters and tend to have higher corrosive potential. These issues were not treated with the necessary care.

Quality-price ratio

Due to various factors, providers tend to seek technical solutions with more profitable price. Preserving water quality is complex, and the solutions chosen must meet certain rules and reduce the risk of infiltration of particles or microbial formations.

Returning to the event in Flint, the corrosion occurred immediately after turning on the water supplying from Detroit. The action was accentuated by the chlorine used to neutralize bacteria. Thus, all the pipes delivering water to homes were damaged.

The corrosion rate can be affected by many factors, such as bacterial formations, the age of the pipes and water velocity. Protection sistems neutralizes the effects of corrosion, but the solutions are chosen by the industry experience, and less by specialized solution providers.

"Savings"

Typically, tests are done to determine the most effective corrosion protection solutions. Well, Flint was not the case for this. The decision not to apply corrosion protection systems has proven to be one more costly. Initially, Flint would have saved $ 140 / day. Subsequently, the costs to correct problems caused by corrosion reaches 1.5 billion dollars, says the Mayor of Flint.

Therefore, we recommend a thorough study of corrosion protection methods you can implement. The team responsible for their implementation should be one specialized to achieve long-lasting protection installations.

If you have any questions regarding the application of corrosion protection system, contact us!

Source: http://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-the-flint-water-crisis-corrosion-of-pipes-erosion-of-trust-53776