Copicut Reservoir Sidescan Sonar
Fall River, MA
May 7, 2013
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Mission Overview ........................................................................................................ 3
Background ................................................................................................................................. 3
Vehicle General Information ...................................................................................................... 3
Vehicle Mission Details .............................................................................................................. 4
Area of Operation ....................................................................................................................... 4
Perimeter Mission Track ............................................................................................................. 5
Dam Mission Track..................................................................................................................... 6
Sites of Interest ........................................................................................................................... 7
Section 2: Klein 3500 Sidescan Sonar Images ............................................................................ 8
SonarWiz5 Processing ................................................................................................................ 8
Mission 1: Perimeter Region ...................................................................................................... 8
Mission 2: Dam Subsurface Region ......................................................................................... 13
Section 3: Mission Summary...................................................................................................... 14
Summary: .................................................................................................................................. 14
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Section 1: Mission Overview
Background:
In 1973, the City of Fall River, MA, converted an old quarry into a body of water known today
as Copicut Reservoir. The lake serves as the reserve water supply to North Wattupa Pond, Fall
River’s primary drinking water supply. Recently, the Fall River Water Department requested an
evaluation of the integrity of the reservoir’s shoreline and an investigation into possible signs of
erosion alongside the embankment of the Copicut Reservoir Dam.
Working in association with the Fall River Water Department, UMass Dartmouth’s Coastal
Systems Technology (CST) group performed a preliminary survey of the perimeter and dam
subsurface regions of the reservoir utilizing underwater acoustic imaging technologies. The two
missions were conducted using a small man-portable Iver2-AUV equipped with a highresolution Klein 3500 sidescan sonar system (see Figure 1 bellow).
Figure 1: A man-portable Iver2 AUV equipped with Klein sidescan sonar
Vehicle General Information:
Table 1: Vehicle General Information
Participants
Vehicle Identification no.
Active sensors
Operating area
Date and day of run
Coastal Systems Technology (CST), OceanServer Technology, Inc.
167
DVL, Klein 3500 Sidescan Sonar
Copicut Reservoir – Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
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Vehicle Mission Details:
Table 2: Vehicle mission details for each mission
Mission
#
Region
Duration
(hr:min:sec)
Number of
Waypoints
Vehicle depth
from surface (ft)
Speed of
vehicle (kn)
1
2
Perimeter
Dam
subsurface
1:16:08
0:23:20
31
12
0
3
2.5
2.5
Area of Operation:
Figure 2: Copicut Reservoir
Description:
Figure 2 is a satellite image of Copicut Reservoir.
4
Perimeter Mission Track:
Figure 3: Perimeter mission track
Description:
In Figure 3, the perimeter mission track is superimposed on a satellite image of Copicut
Reservoir.
5
Dam Mission Track:
Figure 4: Dam Subsurface mission track
Description:
Figure 4 displays the dam mission track overlaid on a satellite image of Copicut Reservoir.
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Sites of Interest:
4
5
2
3
6
1
Figure 5: Sites of interest
Description:
In Figure 5, Klein 3500 images acquired from the perimeter and dam subsurface missions are
overlaid on the satellite base-map of Copicut Reservoir.
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Section 2: Klein 3500 Sidescan Sonar Images
SonarWiz5 Processing:
During the post-processing phase of the project, the CST team utilized Chesapeake Technology’s
SonarWiz5 software to render the high-resolution Klein 3500 sonar images acquired during the
missions. The pictures corresponding to the perimeter and dam subsurface missions are depicted
below. Image properties such as sidescan range, vehicle depth from surface (DFS), and vehicle
speed are provided for each set of images.
Mission 1: Perimeter Region
Table 3: Perimeter Region Image Specifications
Sidescan type
Frequency enabled
Sidescan range
Speed of vehicle underwater
DFS
Klein 3500
900 kHz
60 m
2.5 kn
0 ft
Figure 6: Site 1
Description:
Figure 6 is a discarded pile of granite. Figure 7 shows a close-up view of the same feature.
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Figure 7: Magnified image of Site 1
Figure 8: Site 2
Description:
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Figure 8 shows the contour of the shoreline and a possible walkway.
Figure 9: Site 3
Description:
The bottom depicted in Figure 9 is mostly flat with sand. Several piles of rocks lay on the
bottom of the reservoir.
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Figure 10: Site 4
Description:
Figure 10 shows the contours of the shoreline, depicting open flat sandy regions, as well as large
rocky areas.
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Figure 11: Site 5
Description:
Linear patterns of rocks are indicated in Figure 11.
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Mission 2: Dam Subsurface Region
Table 4: Dam Subsurface Region Image Specifications
Sidescan type
Frequency enabled
Sidescan Range
Speed of vehicle underwater
DFS
Klein 3500
900 kHz
60 m
2.5 kn
3 ft
Figure 12: Site 6
Description: Figure 12 depicts the edge of the dam (the broad lightly colored band) and two
ridges in the shoreline just past that. Figures 13 and 14 are magnified screenshots of the dam
subsurface embankment.
Figure 13: Magnified image of Site 6
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Figure 14: Magnified image of Site 6
Section 3: Mission Summary
Summary:
A small man-portable Iver2-AUV equipped with a high-resolution Klein 3500 sidescan sonar
system was sent into Copicut Reservoir to collect underwater acoustic images of the shoreline
and dam subsurface. During post-processing, Chesapeake’s SonarWiz5 software was the
enabling technology that was utilized to generate high-resolution imagery of the bottom features
of the reservoir. These detailed pictures provided a comprehensive idea of the integrity of the
reservoir’s shoreline, as well the structural characteristics of the Copicut Reservoir Dam.
Several abandoned piles of rocks observed near the shoreline of Copicut Reservoir offer
supporting evidence of the area’s previous quarry operation. After inspection of the dam
subsurface region, it can be concluded that no anomalies were detected in the dam face.
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