On the Trail

At face value, mountain bike trails may not seem to share much in common with water and wastewater systems. 

The reality is much different. At a base level it’s all infrastructure. And it’s all meant to convey. Moving the water where you want it to go is the principal purpose of your systems, and it’s also a necessary design and construction element of a good trail. 

Build a good trail and it’ll last. Take shortcuts and it’ll erode quickly and might not ever work properly from the start. Careful planning and construction combined with regular maintenance will provide a very long service life. Absence of any of those inputs can have significant consequences down the line. It’s the same with your conveyance systems.

In the case of trails, there are no cameras or confined-space entry required to get a good assessment of conditions. They reveal themselves with every pedal stroke. You see where the trail is cupping and holding or channeling water. You see where the sand is being carried. Where roots are causing problems.

Every pedal stroke teaches you something if you’re willing to learn. It usually takes about 45 minutes out on the trail before all the outside stuff works its way through my head and I just start riding free, with thoughts of nothing but the trail ahead and the bike moving beneath me. Those are the best moments. But lately, especially on more casual rides, I’ve been taking greater note of where stormwater is running, what rain is doing to the trails, where slopes or drainage features could be improved to give the trail a longer and better life. I sometimes recognize flaws in the original build, but often it’s just years of use teamed with the inevitable erosion of anything made of dirt that has changed the trail.

Riding bikes led me to building trails. And editing this magazine has given me so much appreciation for what goes into building and maintaining our water and wastewater infrastructure. 

I sometimes hear people say it would be easier to reroute a trail than to repair it. I usually bristle at the notion. Trail maintenance and repair is hard work, but it’s rarely more difficult than building a whole new section of trail. And it’s obviously a lot easier — given the resources — to be vigilant with the maintenance of your systems than to dig up blocks or city streets when things go wrong. 

Maintaining trails, in my opinion, is a noble endeavor. It’s no different with water and wastewater systems. Your systems wear the mistakes of the past and the damage caused by decades of use. Improvements are always needed. Maintenance is constant. But when you keep up with it, it’ll be a very long time before you have to dig it up and replace it.

There’s an economy in that approach. Doing it right from the start so surprise repairs and costs don’t pile up by the mile. There’s also a responsibility in leaving things better than they were when you got there.

Whether it’s trails or the water and wastewater systems your customers depend on every day, maintenance work isn’t usually fun or flashy. But it keeps it all moving forward.

Enjoy this month’s issue.