Metals and plastics have long been rivals in the piping ring—a battle that's unlikely to end anytime soon as the economic downturn continues to drive efforts to cap costs.

And what's going on in southern Louisiana is probably not what the steel tubular industry wants to hear, nor is it likely to ease the rivalry as the plastic product makes deeper inroads.

The St. Charles Parish Waterworks Department is replacing an 8-inch cast iron water line, which had corroded and become clogged with deposits after 50 years of use. However, the 7,000-foot pipe won't be replaced with iron or steel, but instead with 12-inch C-900 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. The department also recently ran...