When a historic hospital in California needed to understand the condition of its wastewater system, GPRS deployed state-of-the-art sewer scope services to get the job done right.
GPRS Project Manager Emily Lamberson completed the video pipe inspection (CCTV) at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco, California.
“It was a routine inspection,” Lamberson said. “They wanted to know the condition of the lines.”
GPRS Video Pipe Inspection Project Managers utilize an arsenal of remote-controlled sewer inspection rovers as well as push-fed sewer scopes, all typically deployed from our specially equipped video pipe inspection vehicles.
The biggest challenge to inspecting the hospital’s sewer lines, however, was that the manhole was located a significant distance from the parking lot or any roadways, and behind a guardrail which prevented Lamberson from pulling her rig close to the access point.
Fortunately, the Envirosight Rovver X crawler GPRS employs during sewer inspections is supported by an HD RAX300 Automatic Cable Reel with 1000 feet of cable to allow for access to sewer systems from difficult-to-reach areas.
“The troubleshooting for the set-up was interesting,” Lamberson said. “I’m not sure if I could have done that with a camera system other than the Envirosight. The customer was impressed with our efforts.”
A Storied Past
Founded in 1866, Laguna Honda Hospital opened as an almshouse for the pioneers who flocked to San Francisco during the Gold Rush.
A 24-bed hospital replaced the almshouse just two years later in response to the smallpox epidemic. The hospital closed and was replaced with an asylum by 1870, only to reopen as a hospital in 1906 to care for thousands of San Franciscans displaced by the infamous earthquake and fire that occurred that year.
Laguna Honda became accredited as a hospital in 1963 and the 62-acre campus continued to undergo renovations and expansions over the ensuing decades. Today, the facility is owned and operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and focused on providing therapeutic care for seniors and adults with disabilities.
All the change the hospital experienced over the years means that its subsurface infrastructure is a complex web of both existing and abandoned utilities. Hospital leaders called GPRS to inspect the facility’s modern wastewater system and ensure it was operating at peak efficiency.
Video Pipe Inspection Services Explained
Underground sewer inspection and mapping services play a vital role in evaluating sewer lines and other wastewater infrastructure for defects such as inflow/infiltration (I/I), clogs, cross bores, and more.
GPRS video pipe inspection services are conducted by our NASSCO-certified Project Managers. NASSCO stands for the National Association of Sewer Service Companies, a not-for-profit organization that provides industry-leading training on the most advanced, non-destructive methods to detect and report subsurface anomalies within sewer lines.
Our Project Managers provide WinCan reporting of all defects found within sewer systems, which allows GPRS Project Managers to collect detailed, NASSCO-compliant inspection data. We not only inspect the interior condition of sewer pipes, laterals and manholes; we also geolocate our findings so you can pinpoint where you need to dig to complete repairs.
Additionally, the GPRS Mapping & Modeling Department can provide detailed GPS overlays and CAD files. Our detailed WinCan/NASSCO reports contain screenshots of the interior condition of the pipe segments that we inspect, as well as a video file for further evaluation, documentation, and/or reference.
Having a sewer inspection company investigate and map your wastewater infrastructure is the best way to mitigate the risks of cross bores and other defects such as inflow/infiltration (I/I).
Cross bores are incidental intersections of buried utilities, which typically occur when a new utility is installed using horizontal directional drilling and it accidentally pierces an existing line. Cross bores can lead to service interruptions, gas leaks, or other, even more dangerous consequences.
Inflow/infiltration is the process of groundwater or water from sources other than domestic wastewater entering sanitary sewers. This clean water dilutes the wastewater, which stresses the capacity of treatment facilities as more energy is required to treat this excess water.
Routine sewer inspections such as GPRS’ bi-annual video pipe inspections identify problems such as cross bores and I/I before they can cause headaches.
As evidenced at Laguna Honda Hospital, GPRS Project Managers are equipped and trained to tackle whatever challenges they face in the field and tailor our services to meet your project’s specific needs.
We know that 70,000 sanitary sewer overflows occur annually in the United States, and over 50% of those overflows are due to inflow/infiltration. We know that there are an estimated one million undetected cross bores riddling the United States’ buried infrastructure.
We’re dedicated to keeping your wastewater system from adding to these statistics, and ensuring you avoid service interruptions and other costly and potentially dangerous consequences.
From skyscrapers to sewer lines, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
What can we help you visualize? Click the links below to schedule a service or request a quote today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What size sewer pipes can GPRS inspect?
Our Project Managers can inspect pipes from 2” in diameter and up.
Can you locate and map sewer lines in addition to evaluating their integrity?
Yes! Our SIM and NASSCO-certified Project Managers use VPI technology equipped with sondes, which are instrument probes that allow them to ascertain the location of underground utilities from an inaccessible location. Using electromagnetic (EM) locators, we map sewer systems at the same time we’re evaluating them for defects.
What deliverables does GPRS offer when conducting a VPI?
GPRS is proud to offer WinCan reporting to our video pipe inspection clients. Maintaining sewers starts with understanding sewer condition, and WinCan allows GPRS Project Managers to collect detailed, NASSCO-compliant inspection data. GPRS Project Managers not only inspect the interior condition of sewer pipes, laterals and manholes; they can also provide a map of their location. The GPRS Mapping & Modeling Department can provide detailed GPS overlays and CAD files. Our detailed WinCan/NASSCO reports contain screenshots of the interior condition of the pipe segments that we inspect, as well as a video file for further evaluation, documentation, and/or reference.
Does GPRS offer lateral launch services?
Yes, we offer lateral launch capabilities as part of our standard video pipe inspection services.