Subsurface Engineering (SUE)

SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING (SUE) is a process that uses vacuum excavation in conjunction with various geophysical technology to provide safe, non-destructive, empirical data about subsurface energy, water and communication systems.

Hydro Spy has experience with both geophysical technology and vacuum excavation technology to provide Quality Level A & Quality Level B support to engineers during the predesign phases of a major construction project.

Our Quality Level B support includes the in-house use of Rycom cable, pipe and fault locators to designate existing subsurface utilities, including ground-surface paint marks with flags or stakes and pavement coding.

Our Quality Level A support employs surgical vacuum excavation methods to expose designated subsurface utilities. Using either water or air, we can pot hole known utilities or cut an exploratory slot trench to provide visual inspection at any depth.

Additionally, after the utilities are exposed, Hydro Spy can provide in-house backfill support to ensure that all exposed utilities receive the right amount of compaction to prevent sinkage and reexposure.