Underwater Inspection and Sonar Imaging of the Spillway
Fairmount Dam, Philadelphia, PA
In 2016 The Castle Group completed the underwater inspection and sonar imaging for the entire length of the spillway which measured approximately 1025 feet long.
Sonar imaging was taken along the length of the sloped concrete wall, with GPS coordinates taken at each drop location to provide an accurate real world location. Multiple images are taken along the wall and then spliced together to create a single composite image of the structure. The detail obtained during the imaging, assisted in pinpointing areas for the divers to concentrate on during the underwater inspection. The concrete spillway was inspected for any spalling, erosion, undermining, or other defects and the channel bottom in front of the wall was investigated to determine if any scouring was present.