Plastic Pipe Data Collection Initiative
A group of representatives of federal and state regulatory agencies and the natural gas and plastic pipe industries have come together and formed The Plastic Pipe Database Committee.
Plastic Pipe Data Collection Initiative
A group of representatives of federal and state regulatory agencies and the natural gas and plastic pipe industries have come together and formed The Plastic Pipe Database Committee. Their goal has been to create a national database of information related to the in-service performance of plastic piping materials. Members include the American Gas Association, the American Public Gas Association (APGA), the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS).
PPDC STATUS REPORTS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Continued industry-wide participation is vital. Participants have been recognized for their proactive actions, and we ask that your company consider participation in this important, voluntary data collection effort. Contributed data elements will always be aggregated, and no individual company will be identified with any specific data.
HOW TO VOLUNTEER: Access the volunteer form here.
HOW TO SUBMIT DATA: PPDC submission forms can be accessed here. They can then be submitted in a variety of ways:
- Email to ppdc@aga.org
- Fax to 202.824.7136
- By Mail: Electronically (CD or USB) or hard copy.
Mail to: AGA, Attn: Debbie Ellis, 400 N. Capitol Street, NW, Ste. 450, Washington, DC 20001
Regardless of the form or the way data is submitted, the information is entered into the AGA-secure database and confidentiality is preserved. AGA inputs data into the secure database upon receipt from participating operators. No other organization, or member of the PPDC, may independently view or analyze the data. The PPDC as a group reviews the data, void of operator identifiable information, for trends and patterns, attempting to achieve uniform and statistically sound approaches. AGA cannot ensure the aggregate data will not be shared in the unlikely event of a subpoena or valid order to produce information to a specific entity.
Because the PPDC’s mission is to gather data on plastic piping system failures, immediate failures caused by excavation activity should not be reported to the PPDC and should be reported to the Common Ground Alliance. Participating operators should report instances of prior excavation damage discovered through post-failure analysis of the piping to the PPDC. Participants are asked to report monthly. If in any month there are no reportable failures, participants are asked to submit a “negative report.” The PPDC compiles historical plastic piping manufacturer information. The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) maintains this information to help operators identify the manufacturers of pipe, fittings and appurtenances. These data include material designations, date range of production, size ranges, and other important information. Corrections and/or additions are encouraged and should be communicated to Gerianne Cain at PPI (gcain@plasticpipe.org). Information on the historic plastic piping manufacturer database can be found on the following website: PPI Historical Database.
If additional information is needed, please contact ppdc@aga.org or Debbie Ellis at (202) 824-7338 or dellis@aga.org. To participate, please complete and return the Volunteer Form.