Bottom Time E-Mail News Archives 
August 13, 2011

Here it is the middle of August but we still have plenty of the dive season left. 

We need to get all check out dives completed by August 28 so please arrange to get them completed.
This week I spent time in Pelican Lake shooting video of the Zebra mussel's invasion that has taken place there in the last four years.  I was shooting the video for the TV show Minnesota Bound which is expected to air sometime this fall.  The videographer spent about two hours on the Deep Diver shooting above water footage while I shot the underwater footage.  He spent time interviewing me about what the dive community is doing in regards to invasive species.  I said that divers are the first line of defense as we dive in our lakes as we can be the first to spot them and letting the DNR know. I discussed that we encourage divers to clean their boats and dive gear when leaving infested waters.

Here are some pictures of the job at Chamberlain SD that we did a couple of weeks ago.

Those going on the trip were Ryan Tangen, Pat Johnston, Tom Erickson and me.

Our job was to lower a ROV through the pipe in the bottom of the caisson so it could travel the length of the pipe to do an internal inspection. The sensor did not work so one was being sent to the site to make an attempt the next day and after not being able to make the turn in the elbow in the 22 inch pipe it was decided that a swimming ROV would have to be brought in at a later time. 

This is picture of the pump house looking toward the Missouri River .  This building is about 13 feet high on the inside.

This show the two pumps that pump the water out of the caisson which comes from the river.  Only one pumps runs at a time.  This system provides water for many rural communities.  Behind the two pumps is the hatch to enter the caisson.  The caisson is eight foot in diameter and goes down about 70 feet in the ground.

This is view looking through the overhead door into the pump house.

This view show the ROV and its 800 foot of cable

This is a close up view of the ROV.  The white cylinder below and behind it is the sensor and it can detect elevations as little as .4 inches.  On the from is mounted the camera and lights.

This view shows all their above water equipment.  This crew came from out east.

This shows the hatch going down into the caisson.  Everything and the divers were lowered and brought up through this entrance.  Everything had to be lowered or repelled down to the water which was about 15 feet below the surface.

Shows diver standing by to assist while the two divers are below doing their work and the fourth is standing by on the surface.

This shows the pipes the ROV was supposed to travel through.  It is 22 inches in diameter with 2 ½ thick walls.

We will be having a one day sale coming come soon and will post it when the date has been set.

Sea You on the Bottom

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