Spanning the Generations
For thousands of years mankind has struggled with the problems of delivering an unlimited supply of clean water to it's cities and removing vast amounts of storm drainage and sanitary sewage. In fact, it was not until the discovery and first use of reinforced concrete pipe nearly a hundred years ago that engineers found a long-term, economical solution to these problems.

Since that time millions of feet of RCP have been produced and installed and continue decades later to provide virtually trouble-free service to the great cities of the world. At this stage in our technology no other conduit comes close to matching the overall performance and long-term value provided by reinforced concrete pipe. Only reinforced concrete pipe offers a near-perfect combination of high strength, design flexibility, forgiving installation and a proven record of service that spans the generations.

Precast reinforced concrete pipe has served past and present generations with outstanding success. Because of it's unique utility and strength, it will continue that outstanding service well into the 21st century.

After reading through this presentation, we hope you will agree.
 

The history of civilization is a story of a struggle to bring the environment under control. Cities have risen and died, depending on the abilities of the inhabitants to provide abundant supplies of clean water and adequate solutions to the problems of removing sanitary waste and storm drainage. When those efforts failed the results too often were disease and death and stunted growth. With the introduction of modern materials like reinforced concrete pipe things rapidly began to change for the better. Combining the tensile strength of steel reinforcement with the compressive strength of concrete, RCP provided a low cost, dependable way to construct the arterial underpinnings of a growing, vigorous civilization. Past generations of engineers and builders, freed from dependency on the natural environment, quickly began to dream and build the great cities and works we enjoy today. The California Precast Concrete Pipe Association is proud to have played a role in facilitating this grand dream.
 

Early RCP products were excellent. Today's products are far better, benefiting from decades of in-service observation, as well as research and advancement in both materials and manufacturing techniques. Now RCP can be precisely designed and manufactured to meet the most exacting requirements, offering the engineer a wider latitude in design than virtually any other pipe material. Now there are five standard classes of pipe in sizes 12" through 144", all manufactured in accordance with stringent ASTM and local standards. And, if necessary, today's engineer can have pipe custom designed to satisfy virtually any requirement. There are also other advantages enjoyed by today's generation of engineers and builders. Precast concrete pipe is produced near the pipeline installation. Because of this, pipe manufacturers are able to offer a level of pre-during- and-post-project service not available with other types of pipe products. These services include easy access for inspection and testing, fast in-depth consultation, fast design and production of custom fittings and other items.
 

Today's generation of engineers and builders are no different from those of the past. They still dream of producing great works to benefit human civilization. However, to be certain these new great works, like works of the past, will be there for future generations, consideration must be given to selection of materials proven to have the ability to withstand the test of time. For this reason the members of the California Precast Concrete Pipe Association offer our products for your consideration. Only reinforced concrete pipe combines the tensile strength of steel with the compressive strength of concrete. Only reinforced concrete pipe comes with the assurance that it can withstand the test of generations of service. And now, through the use of new computer modeling and finite element analysis techniques, RCP design and installation can be tailored to suit the most demanding requirements. Though conceived in the past, RCP is still the product of choice for those who would build for generations of the future.