Underground Utility Locating Prior to Installing a Fueling Station – Portland, OR
GPRS LLC. of the Pacific Northwest was called by an underground storage tank and fuel station installation company. We were tasked with locating all underground utilities prior to excavation of the fueling station footprint, as well as prior to trenching to an existing power transformer. The site in question was a high security site, and shut down of power or damage to any utility on site would have been a major cost and loss of time to the client. GPRS began by confirming storm drain locations in the parking lot, and locating any risers or visually exposed conduits to tone onto. We then began to scan the area with ground penetrating radar for any obstructions, or passive utilities that could have interfered with excavation, High voltage power lines were found entering and exiting the area of the existing transformer, and were clearly marked using paint and flags.
The photo above was taken of the transformer that was located near the footprint of the proposed fuel station. The GPRS technician above is inducing a radio frequency onto this transformer in order to isolate the power lines. The radio detection equipment and GPR 400 MHz antenna can be seen in the photo. Power was also going to be fed from this transformer in order to power the station itself. Care was used to isolate the power lines from any other utility in the area, so that location of these vital utilities was pinpoint.
The photo above shows a power trench that was running from the transformer to the main building, where active machinery was being run. The surface of the ground was quite wet from recent and ongoing rain, so a red lined drawing was provided to the client so that they had a deliverable before GPRS left the site.
If you are in need of, or would like a free quote for any of our underground utility locating services (private or public), such as utility locating, underground storage tank locating, soil boring clearance, trench scanning, or EMI mapping in the Pacific Northwest, please contact:
Jesse Moorhouse at (206) 200-9293 or at jesse.moorhouse@gprsinc.com