Underwater ROV and surface rover inspection of reservoirs and submerged infrastructure — without dewatering, and without sending staff into confined spaces.
Water reservoirs need periodic condition assessment to find structural deterioration, sediment build-up, biofilm growth and damage to inlet and outlet mechanisms. The conventional approach takes the reservoir offline and drains it — costly, slow, and disruptive to supply.
The alternative, sending staff into a partially drained reservoir, means entering a confined and potentially oxygen-depleted space, with all the hazard management that involves.
MĀKI deploys an underwater ROV and a surface rover instead. The reservoir stays full and in service, and nobody has to go inside.
Watch the full video on YouTube: Water Reservoir Inspection Without Draining It | MĀKI ROV.
The reservoir remains in service throughout the inspection — no interruption to water supply and no pumping cost.
The vehicles are operated from outside the reservoir, so no staff enter a confined or oxygen-depleted space.
The ROV covers the floor, walls and submerged structures; the surface rover covers the waterline and above. Together they record the full internal surface.
High-resolution video and imagery give your engineers a record to review, compare against future inspections and use in reporting.
Compact vehicles that deploy quickly — no draining schedule to plan around.
MĀKI designs its own hardware, electronics and software, so the vehicles and data workflow can be adapted to your asset.
1. Planning. We confirm access points, the structures you most need to see, and any requirements your organisation has for working in the asset.
2. Underwater inspection. The ROV is deployed into the reservoir and navigates the submerged zone, recording the floor, walls and submerged infrastructure. The live feed lets the team direct the ROV to anything that needs a closer look.
3. Waterline inspection. The surface rover records the internal walls and access structures at and above the waterline, completing the picture from waterline to floor.
4. Delivery. You receive the video and imagery record for condition reporting and maintenance planning.
Yes. MĀKI inspects reservoirs while they remain in service. An underwater ROV captures high-definition video and imagery of the floor, walls and submerged structures through the water, so the reservoir does not need to be taken offline or dewatered.
No. The ROV and surface rover are operated from outside the reservoir, removing the need for staff to enter a confined, potentially oxygen-depleted space.
A visual record of the reservoir's internal condition from waterline to floor: high-definition video and still imagery of walls, floor, inlet screens, outlet valves and access structures, ready for condition reporting, maintenance planning and renewal programmes.
As well as water reservoirs, MĀKI inspects tanks, pipes, dams, stormwater structures and other confined or submerged assets using ROVs, USVs, drones and imaging systems.
MĀKI is based in the Waikato and operates nationally across New Zealand.
Case study: Water Reservoir Inspection Using ROV & Rover — how MĀKI inspected a reservoir in service, with no dewatering and no confined space entry.
All MĀKI Services — environmental monitoring, mapping, survey and inspection services across New Zealand.
Tell us about the asset and what you need to see, and we'll come back with an approach and a quote.
Get a quote Call +64 20 4194 1275