GPRS’ utility locating and mapping, and video pipe inspection services helped ensure the success of a large-scale directional boring project at Barstow Community College.
New chilled-water lines were being installed throughout the school’s 59-year-old main campus in Barstow, California. The installation of these lines was accomplished using directional boring, a trenchless technology which involves drilling into the ground at a low angle to create paths through which new utilities can be run.
Also referred to as directional drilling, directional boring causes far less ground disturbance than traditional excavation, which is also more costly and time consuming. The problem, however, is that the drill bit used to create the utility path is strong enough to pierce most underground utilities without the drill operator even noticing. If the utility installer does not take proper precautions, new cross bores – inadvertent intersections of buried utilities – can be created every time a new line is installed.
The Cross Bore Safety Association estimates that there are over a million undetected cross bores riddling the United States’ buried infrastructure. Cross bores can be incredibly dangerous; a gas line bored through a sewer line, for example, could lead to an explosion if the gas line is punctured during maintenance or repair activities on the sewer line.
GPRS Project Managers Sebastian Rodriguez and Joe Whitaker conducted video pipe inspection services to mitigate the risk of cross bores being created during the installation of the chilled-water lines.
Using CCTV camera-equipped, remote-controlled rovers and push-fed scopes, the two Project Managers investigated the campus’ waste and stormwater systems. And because the equipment was outfitted with sondes – instrument probes that are detectable from the surface by electromagnetic (EM) locators and allow for mapping of buried utilities – Rodriguez and Whitaker were able to map the lines while they investigated them for defects. This allowed the contractor installing the chilled-water lines to know where they were safe to bore.
To locate all other buried utilities on the site so that they, too, could be avoided, GPRS Area Managers David Henneman and James Peterson, and Project Managers Chris Knerr, Vincent Lopez, and Mike Abel employed ground penetrating radar (GPR) and EM locators.
GPR is a non-destructive detection and imaging technology that identifies objects buried underground or embedded within concrete. A GPR scanner sends radio waves into the ground or concrete, and those waves interact with any material – metallic or non-metallic – that they encounter. Those interactions between the radio waves and the buried anomalies are picked up by the GPR scanner and displayed in a readout as a series of hyperbolas that vary in size and shape depending on what type of material was located.
An experienced and properly trained GPR technician will interpret the reading to determine what was located, and its precise position underground or within the concrete. This allows contractors and excavators to know where it’s safe to dig, cut, or core – and where doing so would have disastrous consequences.
EM locating is a complimentary technology to GPR for conducting utility locates, as it detects electromagnetic signals radiating from metallic pipes and cables. These signals can be created by transmitting current to the pipe, or from the current flow in a live electrical cable.
Using GPR, EM locating, and our sewer scope investigation equipment, our team was able to create a comprehensive utility map for Barstow officials and the contractor installing the chilled-water lines.
Accurate Data at Your Fingertips
The accurate information collected on site by GPRS’ field team members was instantly uploaded into SiteMap® (patent pending), our cloud-based infrastructure mapping software solution.
GPRS created SiteMap® in our ongoing quest to help all our clients plan, design, manage, dig, and ultimately build better. SiteMap® gives you accurate data in a customizable, budget-friendly software platform with an intuitive user interface that you can access 24/7 from your computer, tablet, or mobile device.
With our findings uploaded into SiteMap®, the contractor in Barstow was able to communicate with their team where to find safe installation locations for the new chilled-water lines. The college not only benefitted from the successful install of the lines; they also received an up-to-date, accurate map of the campus’ subsurface infrastructure for use in future maintenance, repairs, and renovations.
With SiteMap®, GPRS has evolved to help you build better, giving you control over your data so you can eliminate the risk of subsurface damage.
GPRS’ SiteMap® team members are currently scheduling live, personal SiteMap® demos so you can see what this infrastructure mapping software can do for you. Click the link below to schedule your demo today!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the Benefits of Underground Utility Mapping?
Having an updated and accurate map of your subsurface infrastructure reduces accidents, budget overruns, change orders, and project downtime caused by dangerous and costly subsurface damage.
How does SiteMap® assist with Utility Mapping?
SiteMap®, powered by GPRS, is the industry-leading infrastructure management program. It is a single source of truth, housing the 99.8%+ accurate utility locating, concrete scanning, video pipe inspection, leak detection, and 3D laser scanning data our Project Managers collect on your job site. And the best part is you get a complimentary SiteMap® Personal Subscription when GPRS performs a utility locate for you.
Click here to learn more.
Does SiteMap® Work with my Existing GIS Platform?
SiteMap® allows for exporting of data to SHP, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and DXF directly from any user’s account that either owns or has a job shared to their account. All these file formats can be imported and utilized by other GIS packages if manually imported by the user. More information can be found at SiteMap.com.
