Monitoring the Effects of Salt-Water Intrusion on Corrosion of Buried Infrastructure

Abstract The effect of the climate, water use, and urban development on salt water intrusion will require additional attention as possible unexpected vulnerabilities to the buried infrastructure can develop. Buried structures that may become susceptible to corrosion damage due to environmental changes in the soil may include pipe distribution systems for drinking, storm, and waste water as well as other utilities and structural foundations including reinforced concrete elements. Monitoring of soil conditions can be useful to assess the possible impacts and risk to buried structures near coastal regions. The use of electrochemical technique for in-situ monitoring of soil conditions and corrosion of steel are reviewed and preliminary laboratory testing explored to assess soil conditions, moisture content, and steel corrosion rates to provide spatial resolution resulting from ground water movement. Recommendations for possible field implementation are made.