Source: American Concrete Pipe Association, Irving, Texas
Proclamations from 11 governors across the U.S. have positioned August 16-22 as the inaugural National Concrete Pipe Week, formally recognizing the importance of reinforced concrete pipe and precast concrete products to citizens’ health, safety and well-being. The contributions of thousands of workers, hundreds of manufacturing plants and other industries that support producers will likewise be acknowledged.
“For more than a century, concrete pipe has been the product of choice used in North America’s vast network of sewers and culverts, and yet most Americans don’t give these vital, ‘unseen’ structures a second thought,” says American Concrete Pipe Association President Matt Childs. “It’s understandable, given that our products have a 100-year service life. They’re easy to forget. So it’s gratifying that our industry and the professionals that have dedicated their careers to it are finally getting some much-deserved recognition.”
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal’s proclamation states: “Reinforced concrete pipe and precast are of vital importance to sustainable communities and to the health, safety and well-being of the people of Georgia.” In the Commonwealth of Virginia’s proclamation, Governor Terry McAuliffe acknowledges the natural materials—rock, sand, water, and cement—derived from state sources that go into concrete pipe. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper stresses that ACPA and state chapter members contribute to the safety of the traveling public and “the improvement of our environment by providing quality concrete pipe that has been engineered to help reduce drainage and pollution problems.”
National Concrete Pipe Week also serves to recognize what ACPA cites are the many contributions of other industries that ensure drainage structures are properly produced, transported and installed within our transportation system. The trucking industry, cement and aggregate producers, contractors, and transportation department professionals provide the additional support that ensures concrete pipe remains an invaluable capital investment in the nation’s economic growth, development and stability. Additional information about National Concrete Pipe Week, plus full proclamations from the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin are posted at concretepipe.org.