Saving Time and Money on a Critical 50-Year-old Water Main in Bucks County 

The Challenge: Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority's Critical Water Main 

Located about 40 miles northeast of Philadelphia, Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority (BCWSA) serves over 500,000 residents. BCWSA retained RJN Group to inspect a 50-year-old, 20-inch ductile iron transmission main that traverses a cemetery near the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a 360-mile major commercial highway from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The inspection was performed to detect leaks, evaluate the pipeline’s structural integrity, and estimate its remaining useful life due to concerns about potential failures near the turnpike or the cemetery.

In May of 2026, RJN assisted the authority using Advanced Vibroacoustic Analysis (AVA), a non-invasive method powered by KenWave’s Dynamic Response imaging (DRI™). 

The busy Pennsylvania Turnpike

The AVA Approach and Process

RJN collected readings at intervals of 500 linear feet or less using 13 existing appurtenances and 10 new potholes (Access Points/AP).

The transmission main map shows pipe access points and other details.

To mitigate traffic noise, intervals were shortened to about 300 linear feet along the turnpike between AP6 and AP18. This spacing provided a level of detail beyond individual pipe sections, producing a wall-thickness profile for each 2-meter segment.

The RJN team inspected 8,055 linear feet. The AVA inspection identified three pipe classes along the alignment:

• Class 51 (AP1 to AP11)

• Class 52 (AP11 to AP22)

• Class 50 (AP15 to AP2A)

The Results: A Whole Lot of Money and Time Saved

The results showed that 83% of the pipeline was in good condition with less than 10% wall loss, while the remaining 17% was in moderate condition with wall loss between 10% and 18%. No leaks were detected, and the analysis indicated that all pipe segments retained ample wall thickness, consistent with a pipeline in good overall condition.

Assuming operating and environmental conditions remain consistent, the results indicate that the pipeline should continue to provide reliable service for the foreseeable future. 

Why what RJN does matters to you

For utilities managing aging water infrastructure, the question isn't simply which pipes have the highest predicted risk. It's whether the available data are sufficient to support a confident investment decision.

Targeted condition assessment can help answer that question.

By combining predictive risk factors with direct information about pipe condition, utilities can:

• Validate the assumptions behind their risk models
• Identify assets that may be healthier than predicted
• Focus replacement funding on mains with the greatest demonstrated need
• Reduce the potential for premature replacement
• Build greater confidence in capital improvement priorities
• Develop a more defensible, data-driven replacement strategy

This BCWSA case study demonstrates how RJN used AVA technology to develop a more accurate, detailed assessment of an aging water main in just three days, without invasive inspections, reducing uncertainty about its remaining service life. 

This evidence-based approach pinpointed where to investigate and measured conditions inside the pipe, giving Bucks County greater confidence in the assessment and potentially saving a significant amount of time and money by avoiding unnecessary repairs.  

"The AVA inspection results resolved uncertainties about the condition of this critical pipeline...We are pleased with the outcome and with the professionalism demonstrated by the RJN personnel involved in the project."

- John W. Butler, BCWSA Chief Operations Office