Pipelines

Some call it "the subterranean world."  In the United States, hundreds of thousands of miles of underground pipeline carry crude oil, home heating oil, natural gas, gasoline, chemicals, drinking water, water for fire fighting, waste water and storm water runoff.  There is not a day in the life of any American citizen that is not affected in some way by the enormous network of pipelines.

According to statistics from the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, the United States has the largest network of energy pipelines - both oil and natural gas - of any nation in the world.  The oil pipeline network alone in the U.S. - exceeding 200,000 miles - is more than 10 times larger than that in Europe. 

And most of us take for granted the fact that when we turn on the faucet at the bathroom sink or flush the toilet that water will come and go.  It most certainly isn't magic; it's the huge system of municipal pipelines that serve every industrial facility, commercial business and residential dwelling.  It's a classic case of "out of sight, out of mind," but life would be dramatically different without our system of municipal pipelines. 

Even the cost of homeowner's insurance can be affected by the distance to the nearest fire hydrant, a very important above-ground reminder of the water pipes below.