Never give an inch - When will we stop U.S. water main breaks?

Censorship of new technology continues while water main breaks are reported in the Press, but the solution to stop water main breaks will not be published to large audiences. The Press keeps on providing us with false information, and I keep on fighting for the truth to stop water main breaks and resulting lead poisonings, fish kills, leaks, rusty water, and the trillion dollar destruction of our water supply system in 25 years. Mainstream press censorship again stonewalls the prevention of water main breaks.

In the movie, "Cool Hand Luke", Paul Newman portrayed a prisoner who was forced to uselessly dig a deep hole and then refill that hole with dirt. Water main break repairs are similar, in that, more than 250,000 holes are uselessly dug and refilled every year, since breaks can be prevented.

Garbage in - Garbage Out

USA Today, CBS News, and others provide debunked theories for the causes of water main breaks, where 'officials told CBS News frigid temperatures and aging pipes are to be blamed for the water main break. ("Major water main break in Edison, New Jersey leaves thousands without running water", click here)'. Even professional editors join this censorship of proven technology ("The AWWA Promotes Junk Science That Destroys Our Water Systems and Threatens Our Lives" and " AWWA Censorship: Staunch Resistance to New Ideas Destroys our Water System and Risks Our Lives").

Montgomery county was the next victim of preventable water main breaks when pump startups after a power outage caused excessive pressures to break water mains. That is, power outages and subsequent pump startups directly destroyed water mains on December 9, 2024 ("Water main break leaves customers in Montgomery Co. without water", click here and "Power outages: Thousands without power in DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia as storm moves through", click here).

To again counter debunked theories that significantly affect our lives, the following Op Ed was provided to USA Today, but publication was refused. The following Op Ed information has been previously published by OpEd News in a series of articles or has been published in peer reviewed engineering publications - however - this condensed version of more than a thousand pages of publications was written to reach the larger population influenced by USA Today.

'Op Ed Submission: NEVER GIVE AN INCH - WHEN WILL WE STOP U.S. WATER MAIN BREAKS? 12/29/2024

I have worked on perfecting this Op Ed through several revisions, since this important work condenses many years of my research and more than 1,000 pages of my published work.' At present, 'I am writing two contracted books and further piping failure analysis and explosion studies in 2025, where the importance of communicating this Op Ed to the public was worth setting aside my research and writing for a [week] on the following USA Today Op Ed submission. [Versions of this Op Ed were also refused by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Atlanta Constitution Journal, and the Chicago Tribune.]

NEVER GIVE AN INCH - WHEN WILL WE STOP U.S. WATER MAIN BREAKS?

Robert A. Leishear, 12/29/2024

Entrenched falsehoods from the past and billions of dollars per year for the U.S. water main break repair industry stand in the way of stopping the destruction of our water mains.

Stop the Breaks

The technology is here to stop 250,000 U.S. water main breaks per year. Water hammers have been shown to be the primary cause of water main breaks, as discussed in a peer reviewed engineering publication, titled "Water Hammer Causes Water Main Breaks" by R. A. Leishear (Click Here). If we stop water hammers, we stop water main breaks.

Technology Was Invented to Stop the Breaks

The basic science is that fire hydrant operations, water supply pump operations, and other water system operations create water hammers, which are high-pressure shock waves in water systems. These shock waves travel for miles in water systems at speeds near one mile per second. More importantly, these pressures accelerate corrosion in metallic piping and cause cracks in all types of water main pipes, whether metal, plastic, or concrete. Moreover, both corrosion and cracks are induced in pipes by excessive forces on pipe walls in the wakes of these shock waves.

Complex physics and experimental proof supporting these conclusions have been published by the prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in a peer reviewed book. titled "Fluid Mechanics, Water Hammer, Dynamic Stresses, and Piping Design" by R. A. Leishear, 2013 (click here). To background this book as part of 55 related publications, I earned master's degrees in mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering and a PhD in mechanical engineering to study piping failures, which include water main breaks (For related publications, see Click Here

Technology Was Shown to Stop the Breaks

The established scientific facts are conclusive - water main breaks can be stopped. Not only were extensive mathematical analysis and experimental measurements performed and published through ASME, but my invented theory was applied to stop water main breaks in operating nuclear facilities. In 2002, 30 years of water main breaks were stopped at the Department of Energy (DOE), Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and in 2017, 17 years of water main breaks were stopped at the DOE, Pantex nuclear missile assembly plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The fundamental physics of piping failures are the same whether water mains are used to protect nuclear facilities or to protect drinking water and water for fire protection of our homes, schools, and businesses.

Stop Water Main Destruction

Most water main breaks can be stopped, where nearly all water main breaks could have been stopped if many water mains were not already near their end-of-life due to water hammers. Repeated hammering cracks water mains in a process known as fatigue while the pipe walls are flexed in and out by water hammers. When the mains are finally cracked all the way through the pipe walls, water geysers erupt up through roadways, or water scours out the dirt below roads to collapse those roads.

These facts shatter long-held misbeliefs that water mains break because they are old or cold. [Recent water main breaks were blamed on oldness and cold weather ("Recipe for disaster: DeKalb County dealing with 'aging pipes', multiple water main breaks", click here). The frost line in Atlanta is near 6 inches deep, and freezing temperatures cannot reach down to water mains. This 41 year old water main could mot fail simply because it is old. Otherwise high-rise buildings in U.S. cities would be falling down all around us. When will we stop this coverup?]

Two of the most destructive water hammers in water systems act when water supply pumps are started up after power outages in winter and fire hydrants ae operated, which is proven by example in a peer reviewed publication, titled "Our Water Mains Contaminate Us with E. Coli, Lead and Copper - Preventable Illness and Death Follow" (Click Here). [These water main break causes, and other causes, can be controlled to stop water main breaks.]

[Stop the Leaks, Fire Hydrant Damage, and Rusty / Dirty Drinking Water Incidents

Not only are water main breaks preventable, but all leaks, hydrant and valve damages, and nearly all rusty water incidents are preventable. These damages are all caused by water hemmer pressure waves that can be stopped.

My home town of Aiken, South Carolina is an example of ongoing water hammer damages in a small city of 33,000. Table 1 shows that more than one water main typically breaks every week, an average of more than 3 water system leaks are repaired every week, and an average of 170 rusty water complaints are reported per year. Water main breaks are only part of this destructive and preventable problem. More importantly, water mains break year round ("The Aiken Chronicles, Water Main Breaks", enchronicles.com/water-main-breaks).]

Water Main Break Health Effects

Not only will water main breaks cost us $1 trillion over the next 25 years and cause fish kills, but such breaks threaten our health as well. When water mains are depressurized, diseases such as E. coli, Listeria and Legionella enter our drinking water to sicken or kill us. Calculations also show that fatigue will accelerate corrosion of lead to cause lead poisoning in water mains of our cities. While we work to replace our dangerous drinking water mains, water hammers can be controlled to stop cracks and reduce resultant lead poisoning. Again, we can stop water mains break year round ()https://aikenchronicles.com/water-main-breaks..

Never Give an Inch

I have invested much of my time and money to stop water main breaks and other industrial disasters that are caused by water hammers. To date, my personal costs exceed 20,000 unpaid research and study hours plus $200,0000 for education, publication and research fees. I am currently writing a third contracted ASME book, which will include additional specifics for water main break prevention ("Fluid Transients, The Water Hammer and Gas Hammer Disaster"). Even though state, local and federal organizations refuse to act, the stakes are too high to ignore. This Op Ed is the next step to stop water main breaks.

Author Biography

Robert A. Leishear, PhD, PE, PMP, ASME Fellow, Senior Corrosion Technologist, and Certified Coatings Inspector, is the President and a Consulting Engineer for Leishear Engineering, LLC in South Carolina. As a piping failure analyst and piping explosion analyst, Dr. Leishear serves on international committees for piping design for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association, and he received recognitions by Who's Who and the Mensa Copper Black Award for Creative Intelligence (Click Here and Click Here).'

Addendum

Along with multiple news sources, USA Today also printed a news article about Atlanta water main breaks ("Atlanta water trouble: Many under boil-water advisory as Army Corps of Engineers assists", click here ). I sent the following email to the Atlanta government to stop water main breaks. Atlanta staff did not respond.

'Atlanta Water Main Breaks Can Be Stopped!, 12/29/2024

Together, we can stop water main breaks in Atlanta. As a foremost worldwide expert in piping failures and water main breaks, I am uniquely skilled to work with Atlanta staff to stop water main breaks. Perhaps we could pursue a small business grant from the Small Business Administration to support this work.

To date, I have written and published 55 publications to explain how pipes and water main breaks crack and burst (see Click Here). Of these publications, I wrote two engineering books for the prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers to explain why pipes break. Also, I am currently contracted by ASME to write a third engineering book in 2025, which will include much peer reviewed work to stop water main breaks. Additionally, I have submitted an "Industrial Water Hammer" chapter manuscript that briefly explains how to stop water main breaks. This chapter is included in the upcoming McGraw Hill, 2025, "Piping Handbook", which is an internationally recognized engineering technical resource for the piping industry.

My water main break preventions include stopping 30 years of water main breaks in 2002 at the Department of Energy, Savannah River Site, S.C. nuclear facility, and stopping 15 years of water main breaks in 2017 at the Pantex nuclear weapons assembly plant in Albuquerque, N.M (see Click Here).'

Again, Atlanta water main breaks can be stopped.

A similar letter was sent to the Mayor of Edison, N.J. on 12/30/2024. He has not responded. References to this Op Ed were sent to both Atlanta and Edison water departments, stating that 'Today, I published an Op Ed that is highly critical of the operations of the Atlanta water supply.'.

These referenced USA Today water main break reports are not unique and are only a few of the thousands of water main breaks reported by the press. Water main breaks affect every industrialized country and all of their cites in our world, and we fail to act. A brief list of actions to stop water main breaks was published earlier ("Water-Main Breaks in Mississippi and Across U.S. Can Be Stopped", click here). All of my scientific findings are published to others so that we can move forward to stop water main breaks.

Addendum (1/15/2025)

The following text message was sent to the AWWA.

'To:' 'AWWA President

Water Main Breaks Can Be Stopped

I have invested many years of volunteer research to stop water main breaks. What I ask is that I be allowed to publish these results in the AWWA Journal, whose Editor refuses to publish my research results. We can stop water main breaks.

To this end, I have published ASME books on piping failure analysis, an ASME peer reviewed publication on water main breaks, and numerous articles on water main breaks. I am also writing another ASME book that will include and explain water main break destruction and prevention. Additionally, AWWA has provided limited support by allowing my water main break publications in the OpFlow Magazine, an OpFlow Conference, and an AWWA Annual Conference. However, my work has been repeatedly and continually blocked by the AWWA Journal.

'Accordingly, I have written a series of Op Eds criticizing such censorship by the AWWA Journal. Links to each Op Ed were then forwarded to the AWWA Vice President and the AWWA Journal Editor. My latest Op Ed on 1/25/2025 is titled "Never give an inch - When will we stop U.S. water main breaks?" '

Several years ago, the main speaker for the AWWA annual conference spoke of the resistance to new technology, and that speaker was later quoted by the main speaker at the following year's annual conference. As noted, my requests to publish new science in the AWWA Journal were denied. Proving that new ideas are fiercely resisted, AWWA stands in the way of new science. New technology should be allowed publication through the AWWA Journal.

Robert A. Leishear, PhD, MSME, MSNE, PE, ASME Fellow, NACE Senior Corrosion Technologist

Leishear Engineering, LLC'

I continue my fight to stop piping system disasters that destroy our environment and our lives.

(Article changed on Jan 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM EST)