In the world of utility locating, having a site map from which we can start can be a huge advantage. Now, you might be thinking, “If I have a site map that tells me where the utilities on my property are located, why would I need to call in a company like Enhanced Scanning for underground scanning? Couldn’t I just refer to the site map before I start excavating on my property?” Our response to this question would be, “Sure. You could reference the documents you have, but are you 100% sure they are accurate?”
In our experience, most site maps or utility maps that property owners have in their possession are not complete or accurate. Either they were never accurate in the first place, or the property has been modified in some way since the documents were produced, making them unreliable. Simply trusting the documents you have is not the best idea if you want to have an accident-free experience!
However, even if you suspect the documents you have of your property are not completely accurate, they can still be helpful to the technician who will be completing the underground scanning services for you. Any “clues” as to where utility lines and other buried hazards might be located will give the technician a good starting point. But don’t worry if you have no documentation whatsoever. The underground scanning technicians can look for things such as manhole covers, valve covers, splice boxes, and other surface-level items that can indicate the presence of buried infrastructure.
After the technician goes over all available documents and does a pre-scan walkthrough of the area that needs to be evaluated, they will then come up with a scan pattern to ensure the entire site is adequately covered. At Enhanced Scanning, our technicians are very systematic and thorough in their approach. They understand the importance of finding any and all buried or embedded items that could be potential hazards, so they make sure to cover every square foot of the area in question.
If any of their findings are unclear after the first pass, and that particular area needs additional clarity, our technicians can use different underground scanning tools to confirm or shed more light on their initial findings. Most of our underground scanning is done using ground penetrating radar (GPR), but we also have secondary tools such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors and magnetometers, and pulse wave generators that can corroborate the GPR data.
So, whether or not we have schematics or plans that we can reference, you can be sure that once we have completed the underground scanning on your property, you will have a complete picture of what is located beneath the surface! Then, you can confidently proceed with your excavation or construction project.
To schedule underground scanning service with Enhanced Scanning, contact our office.