Locating Underground Utilities in Miami, Florida

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems Inc (GPRS), mobilized to in Virginia Key to perform a ground-penetrating radar survey to perform utility locates for the “Flushing Water System Improvement”.

The equipment used for this survey consisted of a 400 MHz antenna with a SIR-3000 control system and survey cart. This equipment is capable of imaging up to 8-10 feet beneath the surface in real time. The effective depth readings are based on soil suitability. For instance, sandy soils are more conducive for the GPR to reach its maximum potential depth, while dense clay soils will limit the GPR effective depth to 30-50% of its potential. Based on our field results the depth readings were between 8-10 feet.

The survey we performed consisted of scanning on an 800 LF of a 10 foot wide area, over the property. The study began near the northwest side of the Aeration Tanks, with scanning west towards the Sludge Concentration Tank, then north towards the Oxygenation Tank to determine if the purposed area was clear of underground utilities. During our scanning there were several lines found around the proposed area. These findings were marked directly on the ground and flagged and tagged with the estimated depths of the lines.