Utility Locating Project at a Wastewater Treatment Plant

GPR Scanning Services, LLC completed a utility locating project at a wastewater treatment plant. The work was completed in Pompano Beach, Florida. The customer was drilling to install new monitoring wells and grounding rods. Based on past digging, the customer was aware of numerous utilities close to the drilling locations. The technician scanned a 15′ radius around each monitoring well and a 20′ x 30′ area for the grounding rods. This particular site was challenging due to the proximity to an existing drill rig and limited area to scan. The technician was able to scan around the drill rig using a ground penetrating radar unit. A grid pattern is the most effective way to ensure coverage of the area. The unit is pushed across the surface both north-south and east-west. This unit is capable of reaching depths up to 10′, to locate underground utilities in Florida. The unit sends pulses into the ground which can determine the presence of utilities. The results are displayed on a computer for interpretation by the technician. The gpr unit can locate metallic and PVC pipes. Empty PVC pipes can be located but it is dependent on soil conditions and depth of the pipe during the gpr service. After completing the scanning using gpr, the technician uses a utility wand and transmitter to locate any live power or other low voltage lines. The transmitter can be used to clamp onto an exposed line. Once clamped on to a line, the transmitter emits a signal that can be located using the utility wand. The located utilities are marked on the surface using spray paint and marking flags.

GPR Scanning Services, LLC is now offering GPS service to document utility findings. The GPS results can be placed on a Google Earth image or placed as an overlay on an existing CAD file. Please contact us today to discuss your next utility locating or GPS project.