Vent: Why is everyone skipping the pre-dredge survey these days?

I've been running a cutter suction dredge on river jobs for about ten years now. Lately, I've seen a bunch of crews just jumping in without doing a proper survey of the bottom. Last month, we hit an old pipeline that wasn't on any maps, and it cost us three days of work. I always thought the survey was basic stuff, like checking your oil before a long drive. But now it seems like managers are cutting corners to save time. I get that schedules are tight, but isn't this asking for trouble? I'm curious if others are seeing this trend or if it's just my company. Maybe there's new tech that makes surveys less needed, but I doubt it. What's the deal?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.michael7h ago

Exactly like that water main mess. People forget that "saving time" upfront just means a way bigger delay later. Hitting something unmarked doesn't just stop work, it triggers insurance calls, maybe even permit reviews. That three day stop turns into a two week headache real fast.

miles_robinson207h ago

How bad was the pipeline hit? I mean, cutting that survey seems wild. We had a crew skip checking hydrant flow maps once to save time, took three weeks to fix the water main they punched through. Idk why people risk it, the small time save isn't worth the huge mess.

phoenixmiller1h ago

Pipeline hits can shut down whole neighborhoods for days. A crew I know hit a gas line and it forced evacuations, with fines hitting six figures. Repair costs topped $300k, and local businesses lost money too. Why skip surveys when the mess is so much worse?