Radar Designed to Find Sinkholes Early Will be Tested in Louisiana

Radar used in the stealth bomber and to find roadside bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq is moving into the sewers of Louisiana.

The aim is finding empty spaces where dirt has seeped into sewers and water pipes before they spread to create huge potholes or sinkholes that can collapse roadways and sidewalks above them.

It’s a national problem. All around the country, water and sewer pipes laid 50 to 100 years ago are cracked and breaking.

The radar was developed for the Defense Department. Researchers at Louisiana Tech University – bankrolled by a Florida sewer inspection company – adapted it to look for potential sinkholes before they reach the surface.

It’s to be tested in January in Slidell.