As NASSCO prepares for the 2023 launch of Pipeline Assessment Certification Program Version 8, it is important to know that while PACP Version 7 will continue to be supported by software vendors after the launch, PACP Version 6 will not.

This change is more than a year away, but it is our intention to provide as much advance notice as possible so that budgeting and other requirements to adopt PACP Version 8 may be considered well in advance.

In a highly collaborative and efficient manner, NASSCO staff, various NASSCO committees (Infrastructure Assessment, Software and Pressure Pipe), and various work groups within those committees have been working diligently to ensure PACP not only meets the growing demands of our industry’s needs for the accurate identification of sewer conditions, but that it continues to expand its scope beyond gravity assets.

Some of the updates will include:

• Pressure pipe codes

• Stormwater pipes and access codes

• Inspection for new construction

• Inclusion of more pipe materials, including perforated pipe

In addition to these new codes and other enhancements to the curriculum, there will be many improvements and updates throughout PACP Version 8, making it necessary to sunset PACP Version 6. Changes in condition terminology are a good example. The term “buckling” is used in PACP Version 6, for example, and is now “deformed flexible” in PACP Versions 7 and 8. Another example is the addition of specific codes and ratings for dams and levees, first introduced in PACP Version 7, with improvements to those codes and ratings in PACP Version 8. Version 6 did not include codes and ratings for dams and levees.

In addition to the specific additions and updates already mentioned, there will be universal improvements to PACP Version 8. Defect ratings for codes will be adjusted throughout, and some code definitions will be clarified. Figures and photos that better represent specific conditions will be integrated. Additionally, NASSCO’s Manhole Inspection Certification Program, of which PACP is a prerequisite, will now include storm access points and structures.

Looking to the future of NASSCO’s launch of PACP Version 8, we are also raising the bar on the way our certification programs — including Inspector Training Certification Program — are being delivered. With the advent of virtual sessions brought about by COVID-19, the success of online training led NASSCO to the development of The NASSCO Training Source. Students can now enroll and pay for a course, provide information so the manuals are shipped directly to them, take the session within the software, download certificates and keep track of upcoming recertifications. Live, in-person training is also coming back, and The NASSCO Training Source will also support that.

The recent improvements to NASSCO’s PACP and ITCP are part of our mission to set standards for the assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure and to assure the continued acceptance and growth of trenchless technologies. We do this through education, technical resources and advocacy. To learn more please visit NASSCO.org.