The latest in underground locating technology is ground penetrating radar, or GPR. GPR creates a detailed image of what lies under the earth. This is a great tool to help locate non-metallic utilities such as plastic, concrete, and clay pipes. For instance, we have been having great success in locating small-diameter plastic propane and natural gas pipes with GPR.

This technology is great for ledge profiling, and this instrument can tell you how far down bedrock is, which could save the contractor thousands of dollars in blasting. It is also great to help locate old storage tanks or anything that you might need to find without tearing up your whole property. GPR works best in gravelly or sandy soil. It does not work well in heavy clay materials.

This scan of an area at the Verso Paper mill in Jay, Maine, shows five three-foot water pipes, at depths ranging from four to thirteen feet. Our ground penetrating radar unit can detect objects buried up to twenty feet beneath the surface.