The water pipe, although seemingly a simple piece of technology, is a vital part to our past, present, and future infrastructure. Since 4,000 BCE, humans have been building pipes. What started as simple clay pipes morphed into wood, copper, steel, concrete, iron, and now fiberglass pipes that one can find around the world. Each with a different life expectancy and list of benefits or drawbacks, it is imperative that we make informed choices on how to move forward with building reliable infrastructure.

As of February 2024, the U.S. Federal Government has announced that they will be putting billions into updating municipal water lines. It is imperative that we continue to evolve and improve the water pipe design. First, wasted water can be costly, and the US currently loses 6 billion gallons of treated water per day. In addition, we are currently 75 years into infrastructure that was only designed to last for 50 years.
There are water main breaks every two minutes in the United States. With water as one of our most precious resources, it is now more important than ever to take care of our supply. Sustainability is at the forefront of innovation, and the evolution of the water pipe should be no exception to these efforts.