Can Pink Manhole Covers Deter Theft?

Municipalities sometimes resort to unconventional means to keep its metal infrastructure from ending up at the scrapyard.

May 04, 2015 | by Peter Kenter |

Pink Manhole Cover — With thefts on the rise, the City of Danville, Virginia, has painted its manhole covers pink, like the one shown here, so the covers are easily identifiable if thieves attempt to turn in the metal for scrap.

The theft of manhole covers seems to occur in waves. Rising steel prices tend to encourage the theft of manhole covers and associated metal infrastructure. At the same time, economic hardship sometimes encourages thieves to target manhole covers as an easy mark, even when scrap prices are low.“The price of iron ore has been especially weak with the fall-off in demand for steel in China,” notes Alex Carrick, chief economist with commercial construction information provider, CMD. “But with the U.S. economy coming back more energetically, maybe the situation is about to turn around.”The City of Danville, Virginia, experienced a rash

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