December 2019
A Lumber Mill located in British Columbia was planning to excavate an area on their site and wanted to ensure that there were no utility lines that could be damaged as part of the work.
Our job was to perform a utility locate on the area, mapping the lines in a report so the client could ensure a safe and risk free excavation.
Location
BC
Industry
Utilities
Situation
The reason for the site excavation was that two parallel air lines which blow wood chips onto a conveyor were broken, costing the company thousands of dollars a day in lost production.
With heavy lumber equipment and trucks driving through the area next to the mill there was enough pressure to crack the buried airlines, causing a loss in pressure which put the lines out of commission. In order to repair the lines the client needed to excavate down to the pipes and repair the broken section.
Solution
Utilizing GPR and EM Locating technology, a GeoScan technician was able to identify and mark out all existing services in the area. GPR was easily able to locate the two air lines which ran 0.5m apart in parallel.
While exploring an access put for the lines in a different part of the property, our technician discovered a communications conduit running along with the air lines. EM locating was used to trace this line through the area that was to be excavated. In addition we detected another unknown line nearby and traced out a compressed air line that was contained within the nearby building.
Using an expert technician
All known utilities in the area were located and the client was able to proceed with the excavation knowing exactly where all the piping exists.
This job perfectly highlights the difference between an expert technician and other companies who would provide a base level service. Our GeoScan technician wen above and beyond by investigating the nearby pit and discovering the communications line. Had this not been detected this would most likely have been damaged during the excavation, causing additional unexpected costs to the clients.
