October 27-31 is Water and Sewer Damage Awareness Week, which seeks to highlight the importance of how you can plan, prevent, and protect this vital infrastructure. Since every week at OBIC focuses on water and sewer damage awareness, we wanted to share more information about how municipalities can stretch their meager budgets without sacrificing quality when it comes to infrastructure projects in 2026.
Across the country, municipalities like yours are facing a familiar challenge heading into 2026: rising repair/maintenance demands and tightening budgets. According to GPRS, sewer lines in the U.S. are, on average, 45 years old and at 81% capacity. These aging sewer systems and deteriorating manholes leave little room for error or overspending.
The good news? You don’t have to choose between cutting costs and maintaining quality. With smart planning and modern no-dig rehabilitation methods, cities and utilities can extend the life of existing assets, protect new investments, and avoid costly replacements, all while doing more with less.
Protect New Structures From Day One
In 2026, are you planning on installing new infrastructure? If so, a proactive approach starts before the first drop of water ever enters a structure. Sealing new infrastructure from the start helps prevent infiltration, corrosion, and early deterioration. We also have many customers who choose to do this in a phases, based on budgetary concerns.
Most applications would use the OBIC Armor System, which forms a seamless, watertight barrier that protects concrete and steel surfaces from the harsh effects of hydrogen sulfide, chemical exposure, and freeze-thaw cycles. By protecting new structures early, municipalities can extend service life by decades—reducing long-term repair costs and service disruption.
When you choose OBIC’s Armor multi-layer lining system, you get more than just performance, you get peace of mind. Every professionally-installed Armor system is backed by a 10-year manufacturer/installer warranty. That means if anything ever fails within that period, the responsibility lies squarely with us. Our certified installers date-stamp each manhole or structure at installation so there’s never any question about when coverage begins.
In other words: we’re confident in our materials, our installation standards, and the long-term durability of our system and we want you to be confident too.
Rehabilitate Instead of Replace
Instead of installing new, you’re more than likely planning to repair or replace leaking or aging manholes, wet wells, lift stations, or tanks. Did you know that a full replacement can cost three to five times more than rehabilitating it? OBIC’s spray-applied solutions make it possible to restore structural integrity without excavation or service disruption.
Using flexible polyurea and polyurethane materials, OBIC linings:
• Bond tightly to damp, uneven surfaces
• Restore structural strength to deteriorated concrete
• Create a corrosion- and leak-resistant barrier
• Cure quickly—allowing assets to return to service in hours, not days
For communities balancing limited budgets and big infrastructure goals, these no-dig rehab methods deliver faster, more affordable results that last.
Overcoming Common Challenges in Sewer Rehabilitation
Even with the best intentions, traditional repair methods often struggle to address real-world conditions. OBIC’s materials and installation process are engineered to overcome these common obstacles:
1. Substrate Adhesion – Moisture, residual debris, or deteriorated surfaces can make adhesion difficult. OBIC’s surface prep and primer system ensure strong bonding, even in damp environments.
2. Moisture & Groundwater Infiltration – Water entering through cracks or joints weakens repairs. OBIC linings are spray-applied to form a continuous, watertight membrane that stops infiltration immediately.
3. Structural Movement – Shifting soils and traffic loads can cause cracks in rigid coatings. OBIC’s flexible polyurea formulations expand and contract with the substrate, maintaining integrity under pressure.
4. Freeze-Thaw Cycles – Extreme temperature changes cause expansion and contraction in unprotected concrete. OBIC linings protect against freeze-thaw damage by creating a non-porous, flexible, and resilient barrier.
By addressing these issues head-on, municipalities can avoid recurring repairs and extend the life of critical underground assets.
Use OBIC Leak Stop Solutions in the Interim
Aging water and wastewater structures are a bit like a jack-in-the-box, you never know when a surprise leak will occur. For those times or if you don’t have any budget for 2026 projects, OBIC’s line of leak stop solutions can be a great, cost-effective fix in the interim. Our chemical grouts do not require professional installation and are available for purchase to anyone looking to stop fast leaks, slow leaks and everything in between. Zero experience is required, and with five minutes of individualized instruction from an OBIC representative, anyone can successfully install OBIC grouts.
The best part? You can buy direct online in the OBIC store!
Schedule a Demo to See and Believe
As you begin planning next year’s capital improvement projects, consider where rehabilitation, sealing, and proactive protection can stretch your budget further. Whether you’re managing 20 manholes or an entire regional wastewater network, OBIC, in conjunction with a local, certified installer near you, can help you develop a strategy that maximizes impact and minimizes cost, so your township can truly do more with less.
A key differentiator of OBIC is our Certified Installer Network. Every installer is personally trained by OBIC, ensuring they uphold the same values, principles, and commitment to quality that define our brand. This consistency means you can trust every installation to meet the same high standards, no matter where your project is located. Our installers are also happy to schedule a demo and show you firsthand how OBIC solutions perform in the field.
Contact OBIC or find an OBIC certified installer in your area to discuss how our proven lining systems and leak stop solutions can help protect your infrastructure investment and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
