Water Reservoir Inspection Using ROV & Rover

Overview

MĀKI deployed a combined underwater ROV and surface rover to conduct a detailed inspection of water reservoir infrastructure. The autonomous platforms captured high-resolution video and imagery of submerged walls, floors, inlet and outlet structures — providing the asset owner with a thorough condition assessment without the need to dewater the reservoir or send staff into confined spaces.

The Challenge

Water reservoirs are critical infrastructure assets that require periodic condition assessment to identify structural deterioration, sediment accumulation, biofilm growth and damage to inlet and outlet mechanisms. Conventional inspection approaches typically require the reservoir to be taken offline and dewatered — a costly, time-consuming process that disrupts water supply operations and can take days or weeks to complete.

Where dewatering is avoided, the alternative is to have staff enter the confined, potentially oxygen-depleted space of a partially drained reservoir — a significant health and safety risk requiring extensive hazard management procedures. The asset owner needed a safer, faster approach that could inspect the reservoir while it remained in service.

Our Approach

MĀKI deployed two complementary platforms to cover the full extent of the reservoir. An underwater ROV was used to navigate the submerged zone, capturing high-definition video and still imagery of the reservoir floor, walls and submerged infrastructure including inlet screens and outlet valves. The ROV's live video feed allowed the inspection team to identify areas of concern in real time and direct the vehicle for closer examination.

A surface rover operating at the waterline captured imagery of the above-water internal walls and access structures, completing the picture of the reservoir's condition from waterline to floor. Together, the two platforms produced a comprehensive visual record of the asset's condition across its full internal surface area.

Outcomes

The inspection was completed in a fraction of the time and cost of a conventional dewatered inspection, with no interruption to water supply operations and no health and safety risk to staff. The high-resolution video and imagery record was used directly to inform the asset owner's maintenance planning and renewal programme.