Drone Project Support

SynTerra takes projects to new heights by collecting data from previously inaccessible places.

SynTerra uses drones to collect detailed imagery and real-time data from hard-to-reach and previously inaccessible places. Bolstered by high-resolution cameras and thermal sensors, our advanced aerial capabilities support project goals, enhance work products, improve results, and reduce risk while maintaining or reducing project costs.

With drones, it’s easier and safer to inspect elevated structures such as rooftops and towers, confined spaces such as tanks and tunnels, and large areas such as quarries, landfills, and wastewater systems. SynTerra uses drones to conduct environmental monitoring and to collect data for survey-grade maps and 3D models that support civil engineering projects. And it all can be done in hours on-site instead of days.

SynTerra drone capabilities

Accessibility

Accessing difficult-to-reach areas (e.g., towers/antenna, stacks, roofs, conveyors, piping racks, riverbanks)
Accessing confined spaces (e.g., tanks, vessels, utility corridors)
Covering large acreage or features (e.g., storage yards, mine/borrow pits, wastewater systems, dams and dikes, pipelines)
Construction site progress monitoring
High-resolution images and video
Thermal imaging
Orthoimagery (e.g., georeferenced aerial photography)
GIS integration
Facility overviews to support orientation and training requirements
Topographic surveys (link to surveying page)
Civil site design services

Surveying and mapping solutions

Topographic mapping to support civil engineering projects
Volumetric surveys/estimates for inventory tracking, agency reporting, and planning (landfill volume and life projection; material quantity estimates for chip, bark, log, coal piles, etc.; pit progress reporting and overburden estimates; and more)
Thermal mapping for energy efficiency evaluation, wastewater treatment assessment, wildlife studies, habitat identification, etc.
High-resolution data – when tied into differential GPS (RTK or PPK), accuracy is down to inches and a dense point cloud is collected for use in generating 3D models, topographic maps, etc.

Other benefits

Small and lightweight equipment
Easy setup and programming of flights
High-resolution images, video, and survey data
Lower risk/improved safety
Competitive pricing when compared with traditional approaches
Reduced site time
Self- or hand-launched equipment

Project example: Underground abandoned coal mine

Client challenge

An ongoing fire in an abandoned underground coal mine had plagued a community in eastern Kentucky for years. Residents of a nearby city were subjected to potentially toxic emissions continually coming out of the ground. Such releases can lead to respiratory problems. The emissions also can potentially affect surface water and groundwater and can even ignite forest fires. Because abandoned mines often have collapsed, and with the situation further complicated by insufficient mapping, identifying underground hot spots can be difficult.

SynTerra solution

SynTerra — with vast expertise in mining engineering, drone operation, and mapping solutions — set out to collect previously elusive data and identify the hot spots.

Using unmanned aerial system-based thermal imaging, SynTerra pinpointed the location of those hot spots, essential to conducting remediation efforts with the goal of extinguishing the fire. A combination of the thermal imagery overlain with LiDAR mapping of the area of interest provided a valuable working exhibit of the pertinent conditions. That exhibit was essential in forming a remedial plan of action.

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Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy Webb, who co-founded SynTerra (then known as The Fletcher Group) in 1992, has completed remedial investigations and regulatory compliance projects associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities, state and federal Superfund sites, solid waste landfills, brownfield redevelopment, utility coal combustion residual (CCR) management units, and regulated industrial facilities. She has supported litigation as an expert witness related to chlorinated solvents, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Kathy is known for her practical assessment strategy with the perspective of the client’s business objectives. She routinely evaluates groundwater corrective action systems for effectiveness and progress toward achieving compliance objectives. She has co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Mark Taylor, P.G.

Principal

Mark has worked more than 40 years in natural-resource based industries. His expertise includes mine geology and mine engineering, hydrogeologic and geotechnical investigations, solid and hazardous waste management, and regulatory negotiations. He has published peer-reviewed papers about coal geology, ore geochemistry, mineralogy, and solid waste management. He is a leading expert in mining and environmental permitting for litigation support.

Mark is licensed as a Professional Geologist in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington. He serves on the boards of the Upstate Red Cross and Upstate Forever. He served on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Geologists for six years. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Science from Harvard University.

Andrea Kehn, P.E.

Vice President of Engineering | Principal

Andrea Kehn, leader of our Civil & Environmental Engineering Business Unit, has 28 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and environmental consulting. She leads and supervises staff professionals on multidisciplinary projects for a variety of industrial clients. Andrea’s vast experience and expertise includes: air quality construction and operating permitting; air quality modeling; air permit record-keeping and reporting; Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP); NPDES permitting; water quality modeling; process safety management; risk management compliance and auditing; and RCRA compliance.

Andrea is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Ruth Albright, P.E.

Vice President | Principal

Ruth has led projects for major industrial facilities throughout the Southeast and beyond. She built her knowledge of environmental regulations and their application to manufacturing operations while working for the second largest chemical manufacturing company in the United States. At SynTerra, she has expanded both her knowledge and reputation working for chemical manufacturing operations of all sizes. She has also worked extensively with other manufacturing operations, including pulp and paper, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive parts and assembly. Her experience includes air and wastewater permit compliance, solid and hazardous waste management, solid waste construction permitting, hazardous materials transportation, wastewater treatment systems, air pollution control equipment operations and maintenance, and ambient air monitoring systems.

Ruth is a professional engineer registered in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kentucky. She is an active member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee and serves as the chair of the water subcommittee. She has previously served as the program and committee chair for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs committee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University.