Forgive my Benchmark ignorance, but...

[TeamTJ]

I decided to give benchmark hunting a try and saw this one near my home.

 

Based on the description, it sounds like it's at the top of the water tower.

 

Why would it be placed there and not at ground level?

Morgan

of

 

TeamTJ

[Z15]

This not a Bench Mark. Its a landmark with horizontal position, Latitude & Longude, no elevation.

 

A Bench Mark is a permanent object for which a elevation has been determined. If no elevation exists its considered a Horizontal Control Point.

 

Note the enclosed NGS data sheet for more info

 

KE1362 ***********************************************************************

KE1362 DESIGNATION - BLUE SPRINGS NEW MUN TANK

KE1362 PID - KE1362

KE1362 STATE/COUNTY- MO/JACKSON

KE1362 USGS QUAD - BLUE SPRINGS (1990)

KE1362

KE1362 *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL

KE1362 ___________________________________________________________________

KE1362* NAD 83(1997)- 39 01 02.03360(N) 094 16 41.89230(W) ADJUSTED

KE1362* NAVD 88 -

KE1362 ___________________________________________________________________

KE1362 LAPLACE CORR- -0.66 (seconds) DEFLEC99

KE1362 GEOID HEIGHT- -32.53 (meters) GEOID99

KE1362

KE1362 HORZ ORDER - THIRD

KE1362

KE1362.The horizontal coordinates were established by classical geodetic methods

KE1362.and adjusted by the National Geodetic Survey in February 2000.

KE1362

KE1362

KE1362.The Laplace correction was computed from DEFLEC99 derived deflections.

KE1362

KE1362.The geoid height was determined by GEOID99.

KE1362

KE1362; North East Units Scale Converg.

KE1362;SPC MO W - 316,385.636 869,198.999 MT 0.99994571 +0 08 22.5

KE1362;UTM 15 - 4,319,466.052 389,334.394 MT 0.99975080 -0 48 17.4

KE1362

KE1362 SUPERSEDED SURVEY CONTROL

KE1362

KE1362 NAD 83(1997)- 39 01 02.03373(N) 094 16 41.89253(W) AD( ) 4

KE1362 NAD 83(1986)- 39 01 02.04040(N) 094 16 41.88841(W) AD( ) 4

KE1362 NAD 27 - 39 01 02.01720(N) 094 16 41.07616(W) AD( ) 3

KE1362

KE1362.Superseded values are not recommended for survey control.

KE1362.NGS no longer adjusts projects to the NAD 27 or NGVD 29 datums.

KE1362.See file dsdata.txt to determine how the superseded data were derived.

KE1362

KE1362_U.S. NATIONAL GRID SPATIAL ADDRESS: 15SUD8933419466(NAD 83)

KE1362_MARKER: 53 = ELEVATED TANK

KE1362

KE1362 HISTORY - Date Condition Report By

KE1362 HISTORY - 1972 FIRST OBSERVED NGS

KE1362 HISTORY - 19950901 GOOD USPSQD

KE1362

KE1362 STATION DESCRIPTION

KE1362

KE1362'DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1972 (ILC)

KE1362'THE STATION, BLUE SPRINGS NEW MUNICIPAL TANK, IS THE CENTER OF THE

KE1362'TOP OF AN ELEVATED WATER TANK, PAINTED BLUE AND IS SUPPORTED BY FIVE

KE1362'ROUND LEGS. THE STRUCTURE HAS AN OVERALL HEIGHT OF 150 FEET AND

KE1362'IS LOCATED IN THE SOUTHWEST ANGLE OF EAST SMITH STREET AND SOUTH

KE1362'11TH STREET IN BLUE SPRINGS. THE TANK HAS BLUE SPRINGS LETTERED

KE1362'ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES.

KE1362

KE1362 STATION RECOVERY (1995)

KE1362

KE1362'RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 1995

KE1362'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.

[+rogbarn]

The term "benchmark" is confusing. Many here (including me) use it as a generic term to refer to any entry in the NGS database (which is the source of the database here). There are actually many types of contol points listed by the NGS. Specifically, as elcamino said, benchmarks are a control point for which elevation has been determined. Other control points may have latitude and longitude determined. More to TeamTJ's question, the one they are looking at is not a control point at all, but elavated tank (see "Marker Type"). These types of "landmark" entries (as I call them) are used by surveyors because they are easily seen from some distance away. In order to log it here, just take a picture of the object and log it. In fact, a recent thread indicates that a picture is not even necessary but if there is no picture, then a good description should be logged to show you were actually there.

[+Web-ling]

...the "benchmark" is the water tower itself, not a disk attached to the watertower. Surveyors use objects like these because they're easy to see from a distance. If it's still there, it should be an EXTREMELY easy find!

 

This one might provide a more interesting challenge. It will be a disk, if it's still there.

 

[survey tech]

All the above comments are correct, except where Rog says that a tower is not a control point. It is a control point, known specifically as an intersection station, because it was created by intersecting lines and cannot be physically occupied by an individual with surveying equipment.

[TeamTJ]

OK then, since I "bushwacked" my way over to it this afternoon, do I get to count it as a find?

 

Not that you can really call going to the police station parking lot bushwacking

 

TeamTJ

[+rogbarn]

Thanks to survey tech for the correction on control points. It's nice to keep on learning something new here.

 

And to TeamTJ, the consensus in the previous thread was that you can log it as a find. A good description or picture would be nice but not necessary. Some consider these intersection points to be too easy and don't log them, I'll take them as they come up on my list in order of distance from my house.

 

What bothers me is when someone logs one as a find and says "I found where it used to be, but it's been torn down for years". How can it be a find if it's not there? Just because you found the spot where it was?? Would you count a cache as found if you couldn't find it but you did find the spot where it was?off>