Spotlight on Corrosion

About the report

NACE International’s new Spotlight on Corrosion Report identifies a prevalent corrosion threat to national assets and infrastructure and provides timely, actionable solutions to reduce corrosion risks and costs.

Based on input from 1,300 corrosion professionals, the report examines the dangers of aging water infrastructure as a pressing, costly, yet resolvable threat to public health, and recommends a Corrosion Management System (CMS) as an immediate solution for water utilities and municipal systems. NACE membership has a unique point of view regarding threats facing global infrastructure and considers preventing a public health crisis like the one in Flint, Michigan as a critical priority.

Points highlighted in the report include:

• Drinking water pipelines and systems are nearing the end of their useful life.
• In some cases, if left unchecked, the corrosion of water systems will lead to widespread health crises.
• Waiting until repairs are necessary is far costlier than preventing corrosion from occurring.
• The direct cost of corrosion in U.S. drinking water and sewer systems is $80 billion* annually, which includes costs such as replacing aging infrastructure, but does not include indirect costs such as water shortages or contamination and associated medical care.

Though corrosion management solutions for water treatment systems exist, there are a growing number of communities nationwide that do not adequately implement optimal corrosion control practices into their systems. The Spotlight Report is a valuable tool for initiating an important conversation in communities nationwide about preventing the imminent threat corrosion poses to public health through infrastructure investment. The report is also designed to equip water treatment professionals and asset owners of systems of all sizes with the information they need to help identify and solve the root cause of corrosion within their systems.

The Spotlight on Corrosion Report was guided and reviewed by a Task Force of five NACE International Fellows – a group of technical and professional experts recognized for their distinguished contributions in the field of corrosion and its prevention.

More detailed information about corrosion and the Flint, Michigan water crisis is available in the Spotlight Report appendix.

*According to the Federal Highway Administration Study: Corrosion Costs and Preventive Strategies in the United States, 2002. $80 billion based on 2018 U.S. GDP

Methodology

This topic was selected via a two-step process:

1. Member Survey - A survey was sent to all U.S.-based NACE members, asking for their viewpoint on which industry sector poses an immediate corrosion threat to the nation. Members were also asked to provide specific examples in which that threat has affected communities.
2. Spotlight on Corrosion Task Force - After analyzing the survey results, NACE developed a Spotlight on Corrosion Task Force – comprised of five volunteer NACE Fellows – who reviewed the results of the member survey and collectively identified which industry poses the greatest corrosion threat to the American public.

With the release of its Spotlight on Corrosion Report NACE is working to provide legislators, municipalities and the public with solutions for mitigating the growing, immediate threat of corrosion to the nation’s water treatment infrastructure.

For more information about the Spotlight on Corrosion Report, please contact spotlight@nace.org or 281-228-6280.

Appendix: Corrosion details of the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis