SEPTA needed to identify the location of an existing underground water main at the future Conshohocken Station parking garage along its Manayunk/Norristown commuter rail line to coordinate the foundation supports for the parking garage. The owner of the main, Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc.'s water service utility maintenance team recommended relocation of the main from under the parking garage footprint. Therefore, the main needed to be accurately surveyed, and relocated from under the parking garage.

Ground conditions had changed drastically since the line’s original installation in 1955 and Aqua did not have accurate as-built survey information to identify its location. The exact depth of the line was estimated to be 25-30 feet but also unknown because the previous property owner had filled the site with over 15 feet of soil and construction debris such as brick and asphalt. The condition of the site rendered conventional locating methods ineffective.

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