Drone Dam & Levee Inspection
A levee is long, a dam face is steep, and both are usually inspected by walking them. Walking finds what is underfoot; flying finds the pattern — and on an embankment the pattern is generally what matters.
- Free to post
- No commission on the job
- Part 107 certified pilots
118 inspection pilots ready to quoteAcross 37 states & regions
Miles of embankment, systematically
A levee system is measured in miles and walked in days. An aerial survey covers it consistently in one exercise and produces something you can compare against the last one.
Seepage often shows thermally
Water emerging through an embankment is frequently at a different temperature from the surface around it, so a thermal pass can indicate seepage that is not yet obvious to the eye.
Available during high water
The time you most want to look at a levee is the time it is least safe to walk it. An aircraft can survey a structure under load from the dry side.
Free to post
Posting and receiving quotes costs nothing, and SkyLog takes no commission and adds no markup. You pay the pilot you hire, at the price the two of you agree.
What this settles
- On embankments: erosion and scour at the toe and transitions, rutting, burrowing, slumping and cracking, wet spots, boils and seepage, and armouring condition.
- On concrete: cracking, spalling, and the state of joints, spillways, stilling basins and outlet works.
- Crest and access roads, gates and valves, penetrations, instrumentation, and debris at inlets and trash racks.
- A surface model repeated and differenced over time, which shows settlement and slope movement no photograph reveals.
What it does not
- Satisfy dam safety regulation. The regimes are specific about frequency, about who is qualified to sign, and about what a formal safety evaluation involves.
- Map the ground under vegetation — and most embankments are vegetated, so photogrammetry maps the grass. That is a LiDAR job.
- Indicate seepage thermally without the right conditions and time of day.
- Be differenced against later surveys unless the first one is tied to permanent control.
Decide early whether you are commissioning a condition survey with photographs or a monitoring survey with a surface. They are different flights.
How it works
Three steps, no account needed to start, and nothing to pay at any point in it.
- 1
Describe the job
The form opens with this page's answers already filled in — service, deliverable, site access. Add the location and anything specific to your site.
- 2
Pilots quote it
Every pilot whose service area and services match is notified. You get itemised quotes back with their credentials, kit and sample work attached.
- 3
Compare and hire
Pick on price, proximity or portfolio, and pay the pilot directly. SkyLog takes no cut and adds no markup to what you agree.
Inspection pilots with published profiles
Real published profiles. Open any one to see credentials, kit, service area and sample work before you post.
chris aldridge
Texas, United States
20 work samples
I’m a commercial drone pilot providing aerial mapping, property line overlays, topographic mapping, construction site data, radiometric thermal inspections, 3D modeling, real estate listing photography and video, property marketing, and professional aerial imagery for businesses and landowners.
Real estateWeddingEventInspectionMapping / surveyFilm / TVConstructionOther- George Benes
Oregon, United States
13 work samples
I've been a Part 107 drone pilot since 2019, working with Pacific Northwest clients on Real estate, construction progress, mapping, telecom inspections, architectural photography and events. I am very flexible and can provide deliverables within 24 - 48 hours. I take great pride in my work and having a photography business, my delivered photos are edited and culled to the best of the best. I worked for 30+ years as a commercial construction Superintendent, managing multi-million dollar construction projects and this experience allows me to be very safety oriented and knowledgeable on construction sites, providing the construction companies with usable deliverables that they can share with all stakeholders involved in their building project.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstruction 
Andy Jones
California, United States
12 work samples
FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot based in Southern California, specializing in construction documentation, infrastructure inspections, mapping, orthomosaics, and aerial imagery. With more than two decades of experience managing complex federal construction projects, I understand the importance of accuracy, safety, and delivering actionable data—not just photos. I operate professional DJI Enterprise aircraft, including the DJI Matrice 4E, DJI Matrice 4T, as well as the DJI Air 3S for high-resolution imaging and the DJI Neo 2 for specialized close-range operations. My services include construction progress documentation, roof and property inspections, land development, infrastructure photography, photogrammetry, mapping, and custom aerial imaging. I also conduct search operations for lost pets using aerial search techniques and thermal imaging. Every mission is conducted in compliance with FAA regulations, with careful mission planning, clear communication, and a commitment to delivering high-quality results on schedule. Whether you need a single inspection or recurring project documentation, my goal is to provide reliable aerial data you can confidently use to make decisions.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherFilm / TVWedding
George Colonna
Maryland, United States
12 work samples
Started flying drones for General Dynamics Robotics Systems in 2009 as the subject matter expert and lead test engineer for RCTA and a program called the Soldier Machine Interface. We developed leader/follower code for up-armored autonomous assets a full decade before Google fielded their driverless car "train" and a UI that let soldiers/marines plan missions on the ground and in the air. My job was to ensure the software worked, more importantly, met customer requirements. Working in the field afforded me a wealth of experience regarding process and implementation, but also how to think critically and resolve issues on the fly. If interested in learning more about my credentials, please see my website. My current fleet is primarily DJI and Autel. I have RTK capability and a complete field kit to sustain remote operations for several days.
InspectionMapping / surveyConstructionOtherFilm / TV- K Enagonio
Tennessee, United States
10 work samples
I've been flying since 2015 and specialize in both cinematic filmmaking as well as surveying, construction, sensitive infrastructure capture, and music videos and events.
Film / TVConstructionInspectionEventAgricultureReal estateMapping / surveyOther 
Casey Jones
Arizona, United States
9 work samples
FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot specializing in RTK mapping, aerial photography, thermal imaging, property documentation, construction progress, and detailed site capture. I operate professional DJI aircraft including the Matrice 4E and Matrice 4T, with RTK capability for repeatable, high-quality data collection. I approach each assignment as a complete mission, from airspace and site planning through safe flight operations, field verification, data handling, and final delivery. I serve clients throughout the California, Nevada, and Arizona tri-state region and am available for both individual assignments and multi-site projects.
Real estateEventMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherInspection
Inspection pilots by state
What an aerial survey looks for
On embankments: erosion and scour, particularly at the toe and at transitions; rutting, animal burrowing and vegetation that should not be there; slumping, cracking and any sign of slope movement; wet spots, boils and seepage on the landward side; and the condition of any armouring, riprap or revetment. On concrete structures: cracking, spalling, and the state of joints, spillways, stilling basins and outlet works. On both: the condition of crest and access roads, gates, valves and their housings, penetrations through the embankment, instrumentation and monitoring points, and debris accumulation at inlets and trash racks. And the surroundings — encroachment, unauthorised excavation and structures on or near the embankment, which is a live issue on most levee systems.
Survey products beyond photographs
For this asset class the mapping deliverables often matter more than the imagery. A photogrammetric surface model of an embankment, repeated over time and differenced, shows settlement and slope movement that no photograph reveals. Contours and cross-sections along a levee support freeboard assessment against design. Volumes quantify erosion loss or the material needed to restore a section. Where the embankment is vegetated — and most are — LiDAR is the honest answer, because photogrammetry maps the grass rather than the ground beneath it, and on a structure whose whole geometry is the point that distinction is not academic. Decide early whether you are commissioning a condition survey with photographs or a monitoring survey with a surface, because they are different flights.
Regulatory reality
Dam safety is regulated, and the regimes are specific about inspection frequency, about who is qualified to carry out and sign an inspection, and about what a formal safety evaluation involves. Aerial survey does not satisfy those requirements and no honest provider will tell you it does. Where it fits is in between: routine monitoring, condition documentation across a system too large to walk often, rapid assessment after a high-water event or an earthquake, evidence to support a funding case, and better information for the engineer who does sign the inspection. If your survey is intended to feed a regulated process, involve the qualified engineer in specifying it — their requirements govern what gets captured and in what form.
Scoping it
Give the structure type and its length or height, and say whether this is scheduled monitoring or a response to something — seepage observed, a high-water event, an earthquake — because urgency and scope both change. Say whether you need imagery, a surface model, or both, and whether vegetation is heavy enough that LiDAR is the right tool. Say if thermal is wanted for seepage indication, and note that it needs the right conditions and time of day to mean anything. Flag access and airspace, and flag any part of the structure that is over or adjacent to water, since that limits recovery options. If this is the first of a monitoring series, tie it to permanent control from the outset so later surveys can be differenced against it properly.
Common questions
Does this satisfy our dam safety inspection requirement?
No. Dam safety regimes specify frequency, qualified personnel and what a formal evaluation involves. Aerial survey supports routine monitoring and gives the engineer who signs the inspection better information — scope it with them.
Can it detect seepage?
It can indicate it. Emerging water is often at a different temperature from the surrounding surface, so a thermal pass in the right conditions highlights areas worth investigating. It is an indicator, not a measurement, and it needs confirming on the ground.
Can we monitor settlement over time?
Yes, by capturing a surface model and differencing successive surveys. That requires proper ground control and a consistent method — and on a vegetated embankment it requires LiDAR rather than photogrammetry to reach the actual ground.
How much does it cost?
It scales with the length of the structure and with whether you need survey-grade products or condition imagery. Inspection quotes on SkyLog have ranged $100 to about $1,550 with a $300 median across 13 quotes of every type — a multi-mile levee survey with a surface model is a different order of job. Post the structure for real figures.
Can it fly during high water?
Weather permitting, yes, and that is one of the strongest arguments for it — the structure can be surveyed while under load without anyone walking a saturated embankment. Wind and rain still govern whether a flight happens.
Will photogrammetry work through grass?
No, and it is the most common misunderstanding here. Photogrammetry maps the top of the vegetation. For an accurate embankment surface under grass you want LiDAR, or accept that the model is of the grass.
Related drone services
Post your embankment survey free
Give the structure type and length, and whether you need condition imagery or a surface model.
- No commission, ever
- Part 107 certified pilots
- No obligation to hire
Prices and guidance on this page were last reviewed .