MME Case Studies:  GPR Leak Detection

Finding a broken 2½ inch water main beneath a busy thoroughfare is not an easy task even if it was already known that there was a leak there.

In this example, a 30-40 gal/min leak never produced any visible indication at the surface. MME's Ground Penetrating Radar team was able to find the leak. Our GPR specialists even map the subterranean escape pathway along a nearby sewer channel that existed near the square break leakage on the water main that runs through a large residential neighborhood.

Our GPR team has been able to detect water leaks even on very large distribution mains. To see an example, click here to display an image of a GPR 2-D profile captured at the area of leak on a 42-inch concrete water main. Even though the leak was more than 6 ft below surface, the leak was identified in real time from the data being collected.