GPR & EM Utility Locating in BC
Before anyone digs or cores, you need to know what's below. Electromagnetic (EM) line locating traces buried metallic services; ground-penetrating radar (GPR) finds non-metallic pipe and images concrete. Together they map the subsurface — for property owners and contractors across British Columbia.
Leaks.ca is the educational leak detection hub and service-support division of Leak.ca, helping BC property owners understand leak risks and connect with professional detection services when needed.
EM locating traces buried metallic and tracer-wired lines by the signal on the conductor — fast, accurate, with depth estimates. The primary method for mapping metal utilities before a dig.
GPR images the subsurface by radar, so it finds non-metallic pipe and sees inside concrete — rebar, post-tension cables, conduit and voids. It covers EM's blind spots.
EM Line Locating Methods
Tracing and marking buried metallic and tracer-wired utilities.
Trace and mark buried metallic utilities by inducing or applying a signal and following it with a receiver.
Locate the buried services that public one-call programs don't — private and on-site utilities.
Locate plastic mains and services through their installed tracer wire — or trace a rod when there's none.
Locate a point or a non-metallic drain by the EM signal of a sonde pushed inside it.
GPR & Concrete Scanning
Imaging non-metallic utilities, concrete reinforcement and voids.
Image what's beneath concrete or ground — metallic and non-metallic alike — in real time.
Find the buried lines EM can't — plastic, clay and concrete pipe — by their radar reflection.
See inside a slab or wall — rebar, post-tension, conduit, voids — before any core or cut.
Map reinforcement and tensioned cables precisely so a penetration never strikes one.
Find the voids under slabs and ground that signal washout, settlement or sinkhole risk.
A scan before every core and saw-cut so the blade never finds a cable or conduit.
Measure slab thickness and map structure non-destructively, without coring to check.
Combined Surveys & Comparisons
Bringing EM and GPR together into a complete subsurface picture.
Clear the dig area of every buried service — public and private — before anyone breaks ground.
Turn a locate into a record: depths, routes and a map your team can use and keep.
Combine EM and GPR into one quality-rated picture of everything below the site.
Neither alone finds everything. Here's how EM and GPR cover each other's blind spots.
For Pros & Contractors
A utility strike is the excavator's nightmare — injury, outage, environmental damage and liability. Pre-dig locating clears the area of public and private services so crews break ground safely.
Every core and saw-cut into structural concrete risks a post-tension cable or conduit. A pre-cut GPR scan clears the path so the blade never finds a surprise.
Plumbers, electricians, landscapers and HVAC trades all break ground or cut concrete — and all benefit from knowing what's below before they do.
Design depends on knowing the subsurface. Engineers and surveyors use combined EM and GPR surveys to map utilities and structure with quality levels they can design around.
Boreholes, piles and ground anchors go deep — and a strike on a utility at depth is serious. Locating and scanning clear each location before the rig sets up.
GPR & EM Locating by BC City
Local network and ground-condition context for 54 British Columbia communities.
Metro Vancouver
Fraser Valley
Vancouver Island
Sea-to-Sky
Sunshine Coast
Okanagan
Thompson–Nicola
Kootenays
Northern BC
GPR & EM Locating FAQ
Electromagnetic (EM) locating traces buried metallic and tracer-wired lines by the signal on the conductor — fast and accurate, with depth estimates. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) images the subsurface by radar reflection, so it finds non-metallic pipe and images concrete (rebar, post-tension, conduit) and voids. They cover each other's blind spots, so a complete locate uses both.
Yes. The public one-call marks only the utility companies' lines and can be approximate. A professional locate verifies those, finds the private and on-site services one-call doesn't cover, and uses GPR for non-metallic pipe — the standard of care before excavation, coring or drilling.
Yes. GPR concrete scanning maps rebar, post-tension cables and conduit inside a slab or wall from one side, in real time and without radiation, so cores and cuts are placed safely. It's the standard step before any penetration into structural concrete.
Leaks.ca is the educational hub. Professional, on-site EM line locating, GPR utility locating and concrete scanning across British Columbia are provided by our service partner Leak.ca.
Need locating or scanning in BC?
From a single pre-dig locate to a full subsurface survey, property owners and contractors can reach professional EM and GPR locating through Leak.ca. Leaks.ca is the educational division — for booking and on-site detection across British Columbia, our service partner Leak.ca handles professional assessments.
Educational hub & service-support division of Leak.ca · Serving all of British Columbia · Since 1999