Phoenix Conducts Underwater Inspection of Wishon Dam

Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix), in partnership with Underwater Acoustic International, L.L.C. (UAI) and Ocean Tech Services (OTS), mobilized a sonar team and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) team to the Wishon Reservoir to perform a comprehensive underwater acoustic imaging and visual inspection of the Wishon Dam for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

The intent of the inspection was to collect a baseline of current conditions to enable planning for effective repair and remediation. The acoustic imaging was accomplished utilizing a high resolution Underwater Acoustic Steered Beam Imaging system from UAI. The visual inspection was performed using an inspection class ROV. Operators maneuvered the ROV along the dam face to collect visual images of areas identified in the acoustic imaging inspection. The results of this acoustic and visual inspection were provided to PG&E within a 100+ page report that included mosaic images of the acoustic data and visual images from the ROV to provide a clear picture of the underwater condition of the dam.

Phoenix is an employee-owned, ISO 9001-2015 Management System certified marine services contractor providing manned and unmanned underwater solutions, design engineering, and project management services to a diverse set of clients worldwide. Expertise is available from seven regional offices in the areas of wet and dry hyperbaric welding, Nondestructive Testing, (NDT), subsea engineering services, conventional and atmospheric diving, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and ROV operations. The company’s capabilities are directed to underwater inspection, maintenance, and repair; deep ocean survey, search and recovery operations; submarine rescue; construction; subsea tieback; plug and abandonment; subsea mining; archaeological; and documentary projects.

UAI (a subsidiary of C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, L.L.C.) specializes in the utilization of underwater acoustic remote sensing for the investigation, imaging and modeling of submerged structures and the adjacent water bottom environments. Fenstermaker develops and deploys custom configured sensors, deployment platforms and software packages that are designed to specifically address the needs of the Hydro-Electric Dam Operator. OTS provides marine environmental measurement and operational maritime support to a wide range of industries.