CASE C32 · US · 2025
DC Water: 3-hour pre-dawn drone survey of about 850 ft of a 9 ft wastewater force main
DC Water had a pre-construction survey of a wastewater force main that failed in 2025 flown with a LiDAR drone. About 850 ft of 9 ft pipe was mapped in a roughly 3-hour pre-dawn window without anyone entering. No cost comparison is given and the length is stated inconsistently.
Long-distance pipelinesConfined spacesGNSS-deniedDarknessWater, spray & humidityOxygen deficiency & toxic gas
| Owner | DC Water (Anacostia Force Main) |
| Provider | Gedeon GRC Consulting (for contractor Spiniello Companies) |
| Location | Washington, DC, United States |
| Aircraft | Flyability Elios 3 with LiDAR payload and range extender |
| Sensors | LiDAR, 4K video, 12 MP stills |
Before
Confined-space entry, power washing and CCTV, which would have required a full temporary shutdown of a main with few diversion options.
With drones
After a July 2025 failure and repair, a pre-construction survey was flown from a 23-inch manhole during a 2–5 a.m. low-flow lock-out window.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| survey time | about 850 linear ft mapped in about 3 hours | Reported |
| safety | no confined-space entry for field crews | Reported |
| shutdown | no full shutdown; work fitted into a low-flow window | Reported |
Caveats & limits
- Manufacturer case study; length is given variously as 800+, 850 and 900 ft, and the meta description wrongly says Brooklyn.
- The 3-hour window left little margin; year inferred from the dated failure and repair.
- No cost comparison is given.
Sources
- Data Driven Pre-Construction Workflows on Wastewater Pipelines with the Elios 3Flyability Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22