Vandervalk+degroot deploys panoramic camera for A10 drainage system inspection

Vandervalk+degroot is one of the few companies in the Netherlands that manages the entire chain of wet underground infrastructure. From sinkhole to water treatment and from design to management. Commissioned by construction company BAM Infra Nederland, they carried out the control and inspection of the drainage system on the A10 Zeeburger bridges section last summer.

"Our sewer inspection camera sees in detail if there is damage to a pipe," explains John Witkamp, CEO of Vandervalk+degroot. "Our modern software ensures that the images are processed into a 3D video which gives us a good overview of the pipe, no spot is skipped. Based on the 3D images, we make a report and give advice for possible repair or replacement." The camera was also used in the inspection of the new drainage system on the route of the Zeeburg bridges. "When renovating roads, it is important that the drainage of rainwater is properly regulated to prevent water from standing on the road. During the inspection we found no peculiarities. This means that BAM carried out the work neatly. If an inspection does reveal damage, we assign specific codes or intervention or warning measures in accordance with European standard EN13508-2. These are universal codes so that every contractor knows exactly what it entails and what measures are required." 

Partnership with BAM

The relationship with BAM and Vandervalk+degroot goes back some forty years. "It used to be mainly about cleaning and inspecting sewer work, nowadays we also do specific things like drainage and drainage pipes. We have a partnership within Ciboor vof in which, together with BAM as a partner, we are responsible for the total management and maintenance of public spaces in which we take care of the domain of sewerage and rainwater."

Innovation in-house

With twelve branches, Vandervalk+degroot is not only the largest sewer cleaning company in the Netherlands, they are also the only company in Europe that builds and maintains its own equipment. "We don't let developments slow us down, we develop ourselves. For example, we now have several fully electric inspection vehicles in our fleet suitable for inner cities and residential areas where environmental zones are in force. Making large vehicles more sustainable is still in development for us because of the high peak power demand. Because BAM is also a forerunner in the field of sustainability, we work closely together and look at which developments and innovations are interesting and feasible." A recent in-house innovation, for example, is the nozzle camera, a nozzle and High Definition camera in one. This is used for spot checks in cleaning projects and makes the condition of the sewer easily visible after cleaning. The nozzle is connected via WiFi to a remote control with GPS that transmits signals to the tablet. "We make use of AI here. This converts images with deviations into data at lightning speed. A human eye is still needed to assess the final details of the images, but this technology mainly helps us to get a quick picture. In fact, images of a sewer are available online within five minutes. It's a win-win situation: the client saves costs, we save time and deployment of expensive equipment."