A method for identifying a material of a water pipe buried below ground is provided. The method includes generating controlled vibrations in the water pipe using a vibration exciter, and detecting a vibration response associated with the water pipe in response to the controlled vibrations using a vibration transducer in vibrational communication with the water pipe. The method further includes analyzing and processing the vibration response using a vibration signal analyzer to identify the material of the water pipe based on a comparison of the processed vibration response of the water pipe to a known vibration response of a known water pipe material.