"No dig" trenchless technology for repairing damaged pipelines buried under the infrastructure system ground to repair low-pressure water and sewer lines has been in place since mid 1970s. The discovery and commercialization of reinforcement fibers and polymer-matrix composites have enabled the pipe manufacturers to develop plastic pipes to replace high-pressure steel pipelines that carry gas, fuel and oil. The use of plastic instead of steel pipes gives a better life to damaged pipelines (as well as for new pipelines) as initial costs to fabricate them are less and lifetime costs to maintain them are significantly less because of plastics being noncorrosive unlike steel.
The complex infrastructure system of pipes buried underground is the "lifeblood" for sustaining our way of life. The infrastructure systems include utility systems that bring vital services such as electricity, gas, heating oil, fuel, and water to our homes, businesses, industries, and commercial facilities. In addition to these pipelines, there are piping networks that take chemical, petrochemical, and municipal waste streams for treatment from the same places where the vital services are being delivered.