All Sweetwater employees are thoroughly trained on the use of multiple pieces of electromagnetic (EM) utility locating equipment, ground penetrating radar, passive locating equipment, and sondes.  Sweetwater has found it necessary to be very versatile using a variety of equipment on each job to make sure we do the most thorough job possible.  We bring 2 crew members and every piece of locating equipment to every job so we can complete whatever may be necessary.

We use the best locating equipment on the market.  Rigid SR60’s for multiple frequency EM and Passive locating, Metrotech 810’s for EM Locating and inductive sweeping of the entire project, 8khz sondes and rodders for locating plastic pipes, Metrotech Vivax Pro’s for  multiple frequency EM and Passive locating, Rigid small pipe snake camera’s for viewing inside small pipes, Mala ground Penetrating Radar’s for locating plastic utilities and underground facilities such as tanks,  Impulse Dual frequency GPR for locating plastic utilities and underground facilities and Schonstedt Metal detectors to find buried valves and manholes.

Sweetwater Utility provides approximate mapping services.

Sweetwater teamed with a software company to development a program that allows us to create approximate maps of the utilities we designate.

The data is acquired using a Geode GPS device. Depending on the location of the project most of our information is within 3 to 10 inches horizontally when shot in. The software on the tablet allows us to collect the data and process the information in real time. We then create two deliverables. First is a PDF map with an aerial background of the site with the underground utilities and associated surface structures overlayed as highlighted lines and images. Second a KMZ file is produced that can be manipulated by the client in Google Earth.

We have found this to be an extremely useful tool. It is not as accurate as professional grade survey. However, the maps usefulness being it is an arial image with all of utilities overlayed cannot be overstated. The map is extremely easy to interpret allowing anyone on-site to have an in-depth understanding of the subsurface utilities. Creating these maps also allows Sweetwater to keep a collection of all utilities that we have mapped. We can then in turn use these maps if we return to the same site as a reference for future work. 

Off Road 4×4 Buggy We utilize our two- or four-seater buggy for many purposes. Generally, we use it on large job sites to carry equipment where it would not be feasible to move our trucks around. However, we also find it useful to scope job sites with clients and inspect right of ways. Using the buggy greatly reduces our time on the job sites, the impact our large vehicles would have on site and stress on our employees. The buggy is equipped with strobes and logos for safety also. 

Sweetwater utilizes a Mala High Frequency concrete scanning ground penetrating radar for very specific scanning projects.

The High Frequency GPR allows us to scan floors and walls to produce a 3D image of all structures, utilities and voids within the scanned area. The 3D image scan takes about 5 minutes to accomplish. The on-board computer then processes the information and produces a 3D image within an average of 3 minutes. We can then immediately transfer all of the results onto the floor or wall of the project site. The scans are also saved in the computer and can be delivered to the client for reporting or future use.

General uses for the High Frequency GRP are to find “clear” paths for borings or corings as to avoid cutting any rebar or utilities, determine the amount and depth of rebar for structural engineering, determine if a block wall has been backfilled with cement or rebar, locate post tension cables, and to locate utilities within a floor or wall. 

Brush cutting services to access overgrown property.

Skid Steer with brush cutter. We utilize the skid steer for many tasks such as moving backfill material, moving drums, and most importantly clearing overgrown areas for access. When needed we use the skid steer and brush cutter to clear terrain so we can successfully GPR, gain access for our Vacuum excavation rigs, and general clearing for our clients. Duke power and the gas company have found it to be especially useful on their right of ways.

Facility avoidance for monitoring wells and soil boring installation. 

Sweetwater has over 32 years of combined experience with utility designating and ground penetrating radar. We are considered some of the most highly qualified in the region and have a reputation of excellence within the North and South Carolina regions.

All employees are thoroughly trained on the use of multiple pieces of electromagnetic (EM) utility locating equipment, ground penetrating radar, passive locating equipment, and sondes. We have found it necessary to be very versatile using a variety of equipment on each job to make sure we do the most thorough job possible. We bring 2 crew members and every piece of locating equipment to every job so we can complete all client needs at the project site.

We use the best locating equipment on the market. Rigid SR60’s for multiple frequency EM and Passive locating, Metrotech 810’s for EM Locating and inductive sweeping of the entire project, 8khz sondes and rodders for locating plastic pipes, Metrotech Vivax Pro’s for multiple frequency EM and Passive locating, Rigid small pipe snake camera’s for viewing inside small pipes, Mala ground Penetrating Radar’s for locating plastic utilities and underground facilities such as tanks, Impulse Dual frequency GPR for locating plastic utilities and underground facilities and Schonstedt Metal detectors to find buried valves and manholes.

Vacuum Excavation has numerous uses but there are two main services for which it is used. To determine the precise position of an existing utility (Test Hole). To determine a visibly verified utility free path for the installation or advancement of a solid structure into the ground such as a drill augur for well installation (Clear Hole).
Vacuum Excavation: Nondestructive vacuum excavation utilizes high-pressure air expelled through a steel lance to disturb the soil. No direct contact is made between the soil and the steel lance. The pressure of the air breaks apart the soil.
The soil is then extracted via vacuum into a hopper. This process alleviates the possibility of damaging the utility while gaining the knowledge of the utility’s exact vertical and horizontal location. In the case of a Clear Hole, this process allows visual verification that no utilities are present in the excavated location. Once all measurements are made and information is gathered the extracted soil is then removed from the hopper. If the soil is not contaminated it can be placed back into the hole. If the soil is contaminated it can be dumped directly into a drum or a spoils pile. Once the hole is refilled and compacted in lifts the hole it topped with the removed grass plug, cold patch asphalt, or concrete depending on the original excavated surface.