As you read this article in your office, or on an airplane, or by a pool (if you’re lucky), consider this: You are 55% to 60% water.

With the fundamentally aqueous nature of human beings in mind, you might be that much more intrigued to learn what ASTM International committees are doing to help ensure that the water we use every day is provided at a degree of purity and cleanliness appropriate to its end use, is transported efficiently, and is properly treated after it has been used.

The shorthand term coined to encompass this work is “blue water” standards – that is, water-related standards that impact society. Areas that fall under this umbrella include drinking water (and the pipes that deliver it), sewage treatment, stormwater runoff, and even ubiquitous contaminants like microplastics. Following is a look at what ASTM committees are doing in several of these areas.

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Whether you’re talking about so-called “domestic” water coming through our taps and showerheads; the industrial water essential to almost every manufacturing process; wastewater that must be treated prior to disposal or reuse; or pristine wild water that needs protection from the voracious demands of modern civilization, the committee on water (D19) is a good place to start.

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“Just about all of the standards developed and maintained by the committee pertain to water quality,” says D19 second vice chair William Lipps. “Many of our standards are for the chemical, radiological, and biological testing of water for contaminants and water quality. However, we also have standards that cover sampling and purification of water. These standards cover drinking water, wastewater, cooling and industrial waters, ambient water (rivers and lakes), stormwater runoff, seawater, and brines.”

With around 400 members, 14 subcommittees, and over 300 standards that fall under its jurisdiction, the water committee is clearly a force to be reckoned with in the world of water.

And, in the words of committee chair Jay Gandhi, it all starts – as it does for many technical committees – with the proper terminology.

“How do you define groundwater and surface water? How do you decide on units of measurement? In our committee, the subcommittee on terminology [D19.12] is responsible for standardizing terminology related to water [D1129],” Gandhi explains. “This document provides definitions used by all the D19 subcommittees in their standards-development work. For instance, surface water is defined as

per USGS [U.S. Geological Survey] and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] definitions.”

Testing the Water

Eight subcommittees are responsible for most of the standards developed by D19. The subcommittee on inorganic constituents of water (D19.05), for example, currently manages 65 standards. Their counterpart is the subcommittee on methods for analysis of organic substances in water (D19.06), which is responsible for a remarkable total of 81 standards, many spelling out test methods for organic materials like hydrocarbons and pesticides.

Lipps cites the standard specification for reagent water (D1193) as one of the committee’s most frequently referenced standards. “First published in 1951, this one is very important because all laboratory testing relies on such water. However, the standard is not just used by laboratories, but by industries all over the world. That standard, indeed all the committee’s standards, are constantly being revised to meet the changing needs of end users.”

Seventy-four years old this year, D1193 is not unique in terms of its longevity and lasting impact. Some of the committee’s other widely used water purity standards date back even further. The standard test methods for chloride ion in water (D512) and dissolved oxygen in water (D888) were first issued in 1938 and 1946, respectively.

“These test methods date back to the founding of the committee in 1932. They have changed over the years, but the basic concepts and chemistry remain the same,” Lipps says.

Gandhi points out that collaborating with other organizations in the standards-development and regulatory communities is another important part of his committee’s activities. “The water committee has a subcommittee that liaises with other voluntary consensus-based organizations, like Standard Methods, the International Organization for Standardization [ISO], and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. Many D19 methods have been adopted by the EPA under the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, which allows customers of water utilities to use ASTM test methods as part of their regulatory toolbox.”

The value of this cooperation, Gandhi notes, is that as EPA and other agencies face dwindling resources and an uncertainty over future funding, they can collaborate with ASTM and take advantage of the work industry experts carry out under the auspices of committees like D19.

Managing the Water

Water quality is obviously a very important issue. But whether it’s domestic, industrial, or stormwater runoff, that liquid also must somehow get from point A to point B. The most common way, particularly in developed countries, is through pipes. Several committees, including those on concrete pipe (C13) and plastic piping systems (F17), lead the way in developing relevant standards.

“I would classify concrete pipe first of all as a drainage pipe,” says C13 chair John Meyer, adding that these storm sewers often connect to concrete sediment basins that hold water for a period of time to allow solid material to settle out of it.

Standards for recycling will help clean waterways.

“Many states are requiring that designs – the flow of the water, for example – be the same for a grass surface or farmland, and then when that land is developed, the same amount of water should be released over a three- or four-day period,” he says. “In many subdivisions, you may see that where there used to be open land, there is now a pond that captures excess water. And in that pond there’s a weir, a kind of dam-like structure, and once the pond fills up to that level, the water will flow over the weir into the concrete pipe.” This approach facilitates the gradual release of stored water.

Although, as Meyer noted, concrete pipe is perhaps most often associated with drainage systems, it is also a key component of potable water distribution systems. Committee vice chair Steve DelloRusso points out that the main lines that supply urban environments and other developed areas are larger concrete pipes referred to as transmission lines. Typically 36 inches in diameter (though they can be as much as four times that size), they feed smaller pipes to the local streets and eventually supply buildings and homes through distribution lines.

Whatever the ultimate end use, the committee led by Meyer and DelloRusso has a very specific focus. “C13 deals with the design and manufacture of traditional, non-prestressed reinforced concrete pipe, box culverts, and other associated gravity drainage/sewer structures like manholes,” DelloRusso says. The committee’s standards are focused on the structural design and physical installation of the pipe or culvert, identifying standard pipe geometries and strengths to accommodate the sizes, soil cover, and live load demands spelled out in the site drawings.

As is the case with many of the standards previously discussed, some of those developed by C13 have also been in use for decades. “The C76 standard specification for reinforced concrete culvert, storm drain, and sewer pipe was first adopted in the late 1930s and remains the primary referenced standard to this day,” says DelloRusso.

“Precast concrete products can have a service life of 100 years or more,” he adds. “Concrete pipes and culverts have documented resiliency and can often withstand intense storms and floods to remain serviceable and keep sewers flowing and roadways passable where other materials have failed.”

Enhancing that resiliency is the goal of work being conducted by the subcommittee on determining the effects of biogenic sulfuric acid on concrete pipes and structures (C13.03), specifically in the realm of sanitary sewage. “Concrete pipe that’s used for collecting sewage can be susceptible to corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide gas, and C13.03 has developed test methods to address the issue,” Meyer says.

Plastic Piping Systems

The committee on plastic piping systems (F17) develops specifications for plastic pipe, fittings, and appurtenances; standard practices for joining and installing plastic pipes; and test methods and other services specific to these systems. Committee chair Steve Sandstrum believes this rather innocuous list of activities does not fully capture the impact of his committee’s work.

“When we speak of the range of applications for plastic pipe, we are referring to piping services critical to our society such as gas distribution, energy production, potable water distribution, sanitary or sewer systems, groundwater protection, agricultural production, land drainage, and much more,” he says. “Regulatory agencies, standards organizations, and code bodies such as the National Sanitation Foundation, the Canadian Standards Association, the America Water Works Association, and the American Gas Association utilize ASTM standards to develop sound technical principles by which to safely operate plastic piping systems across North America and globally.”

Asked to highlight one or two particularly impactful standards, Sandstrum instead cites “a series of stepping stones, if you will, that sustain continual advancement in the performance of these products.”

One such example concerns high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. “When I first started my career with this pipe, the highest level of performance under the ASTM system was the PE3408 designation,” says Sandstrum. “Over the course of my 40-plus years, the technical bar has continued to rise through the concerted efforts of F17 membership, progressing in stepwise fashion from PE3408 to significantly higher levels of technical performance as reflected in the PE4710 designation.”

These improvements were achieved thanks to standards covering a variety of interrelated issues, including HDPE resin performance, standards of production and testing for HDPE pipe and fittings, and joining and installation standards. “The higher technical capability of today’s HDPE pressure pipe provides society greater assurance of long-term serviceability in response to naturally occurring phenomena such as seismic shifts, subsidence, earthquakes, land erosion, and more,” explains Sandstrum.

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The standard practice for heat fusion joining of polyethylene pipe and fittings (F2620) is another example. Following this standard properly, with well-maintained and calibrated equipment, creates a joint that is as strong and durable as the pipe itself. “The result is zero lost water in operation and zero infiltration of contaminants that could jeopardize the clean water so important to our society,” Sandstrum says.

Microplastics and Sustainability

Speaking of clean water, ASTM committees are also making a difference in addressing microplastics, one of the biggest threats to modern water supplies, as well as larger issues of sustainable resource use.

Fragments of material less than 5 mm in size that are created as plastic bottles degrade and synthetic fleece sweaters are washed, microplastics are found everywhere on earth – including inside our bodies. They are particularly prevalent in the water supply, making them a hot topic in environmental circles. Thanks to more coverage in the mainstream media, public awareness of the problem is increasing as well.

“Different people have different concepts or theories regarding microplastics, but the good news is that we are aware of the issue and that efforts are underway to create standardized methods,” Gandhi says.

This work has already borne fruit. Lipps states that “D19 has led the world in publishing methods for the sampling, sample preparation, and analysis of microplastics in water.”

The standard practice for development of microplastic reference samples for calibration and proficiency evaluation in all types of water matrices with high to low levels of suspended solids (D8402) is one such standard. Standardized reference samples are critical for evaluation of microplastic detection and imaging methods, estimation of microplastic concentrations in drinking water and wastewater, and investigation of microplastic particle degradation, among other things.

But what about recycling the vast amounts of intact plastic material

before it reaches our waterways? Sandstrum points to the standard specification for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plastic drain, waste, and vent (DWV) pipe and fittings having post-industrial recycle content (F2390) as an important step forward: “Standards such as these provide our industry a viable means for the responsible use of waste plastic, thus reducing the potential for plastic waste proliferation while maintaining serviceability in drainage-type applications.”

As far as addressing more general environmental issues surrounding plastic pipe systems, Sandstrum calls attention to the recent formation of a subcommittee on sustainability and resilience (F17.97). “This subcommittee will develop consistent methodologies for lifecycle assessment of plastic pipe systems, a sound technical approach to the resilience of such systems, advancements in the area of responsible use of recycled plastic, and much more.”

This emphasis on sustainability extends to all the committees that tackle water-related issues. Lipps notes that D19 is involved in ongoing efforts to support new technologies that measure analytes in more cost-effective ways that are in line with sustainable-development goals. “Using smaller sample volumes and less solvent or fewer consumables translates to a greener footprint for shipping samples and less overall waste,” he says.

The committee on concrete and concrete aggregates (C09) is also focused on smarter water usage. “The subcommittee on ready-mixed concrete [C09.40] created the standard specification for mixing water used in the production of hydraulic cement concrete [C1602] to allow concrete to use water from any source, as long as it meets the performance criteria set forth in the standard,” explains C09 chair Steve Szecsy. “This enabled the industry to migrate away from using potable water for concrete production, allowing for more recycling and reuse of water.” ●

Jack Maxwell is a freelance writer based in Westmont, NJ.