A Morgantown Utility Board contractor is renewing sanitary sewer and stormwater lines using a system known as Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP). The process involves installing a resin-saturated felt tube into an existing sewer pipe and inflating it. The resin is then cured or hardened to create a new plastic pipe within the old pipe.

This is of tremendous benefit in that CIPP provides a "new" pipe without having to excavate streets, sidewalks, parking areas, driveways, greenspace, and other public and private areas. Renewing pipes using CIPP can thus be done in days rather than weeks or even months. The result is savings to rate payers and reduced disruptions to those that live and work in the area.

There are a couple of inconveniences that may result from the use of CIPP. One is that the styrene component in the resin used in CIPP can produce a "glue-like" odor within nearby residences or businesses. This happens when odors enter through the pipe that extends from the home to a sewer main. In this event, the cause is almost always a dry “U” shaped device called a P-trap. The good news is that the remedy is often as simple as pouring a gallon of water into all plumbing fixtures and floor drains inside the home or business. Doing so restores the water barrier that the P-trap is designed to maintain, locking out odors. It is highly recommended that you take time to ensure the P-traps (and toilets that are seldom used) contain water prior to the date our contractor begins CIPP installation. This can help eliminate issues before they arise.*

Another item to note is that a CIPP installation truck will be visible in the area during the process. This truck produces the steam used for curing the resin inside the pipe. What you will see is the steam being injected through one manhole and venting through a 6-foot (minimum) vent stack in an adjacent manhole. This steam cloud will dissipate quickly, if it is even visible at all.

Below are links to two contractor developed documents that will assist in understanding the CIPP process and provide additional information. Should you have further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to MUB Senior Engineer Ken Hacker via email at khacker@mub.org.

* Please note that for the general population in normal circumstances, measured environmental styrene concentrations from CIPP in the air are at levels too low to cause health effects. However, short-term exposure may cause eye irritation, headache, and discomfort. The EPA guideline for such an airborne concentration would list this as an Acute Exposure Guideline Level -1. EPA defines this as the airborne concentration of a substance above which it is predicted that the general population, including susceptible individuals, could experience notable discomfort, irritation, or certain asymptomatic, non-sensory effects. In most cases, however, the effects are reversible upon leaving the area of exposure.