What’s hiding under our feet?
Underneath the surface, a whole world exists. Vital infrastructure snakes its way beneath our cities, delivering essential services like electricity, water, and internet. These hidden networks are often forgotten, making them vulnerable to damage.
That’s why mapping underground utilities is so important. It ensures safety, improves efficiency, and saves money on construction and excavation projects. Hitting a utility line can lead to massive financial losses and project delays. And inaccurate data about what’s below is a major cause of underground damage.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of mapping underground, the different methods used to locate these hidden assets, and the advantages of hiring professional locating services.
Understanding Utility Mapping and its Significance
Mapping the underground infrastructure can be a complex and challenging task, but it’s also critically important. Here’s why.
What is Utility Mapping?
Utility mapping is all about pinpointing and recording the exact location of underground utilities, from water pipes and gas lines to electrical and communications cables. Accurate maps of these networks are essential for avoiding damage when digging or building, and they give a clear picture of what’s running beneath our feet.
The High Cost of Underground Utility Strikes
Striking an underground utility line is surprisingly common, and it’s a serious problem. These incidents lead to expensive repairs, hold up construction projects, and can even cause injuries. In fact, a whopping 94% of these strikes happen because the utility location data is wrong or missing entirely.
These accidents don’t just cause headaches; they can hit facilities hard, costing an average of $56,000 and shutting down operations for six to eight weeks.
How to Avoid Hitting Underground Utilities
Hitting an underground utility line can be a costly, dangerous, and even deadly mistake. So, what steps can you take to reduce the risk?
- Call 811/One Call First: This is the most basic, but most important step. Both federal and state laws require you to call 811 before you dig. Keep in mind that 811 only locates public utilities.
- Hire a Private Utility Locator: To get full coverage, you’ll also need to hire a private utility locating firm. Private utilities make up more than 60% of all utility lines in the US, so they’re easy to miss! Look for locators with SIM-certification. They have an accuracy rate of 99.8%.
- Update Your Ground Disturbance Policy: If you’re in charge of a construction project, you need a solid ground disturbance policy. At a minimum, that policy should require utility locating before any digging.
- Use a Secure, Shareable Underground Utility Mapping Platform: It’s hard to overstate the value of a centralized platform that makes data easy to access and share. A platform like SiteMap® offers accurate, interactive, and accessible utility maps.
How do you find underground utilities?
Fortunately, there are a few technologies that can help locate underground utilities. Here are three common methods:
Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Ground-penetrating radar is a nondestructive technology that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. GPR can detect both metal and nonmetal objects.
The downside of GPR is that it can be affected by soil conditions. Depending on the type of soil and how wet it is, for example, the radar pulses may not penetrate as deeply or provide as clear an image.
Electromagnetic (EM) Locators
EM locators detect the electromagnetic fields generated by underground utilities, so they’re effective for finding metal pipes and cables.
One of the advantages of EM locators is that they’re relatively easy to use, which can make the process of mapping underground utilities faster and less expensive.
Acoustic Pipe Locators
Acoustic locators work by detecting the sound waves generated within pipes. This method is particularly useful for locating nonmetallic pipes.
Unfortunately, the accuracy of acoustic pipe locators can be affected by ground conditions and noise. In areas with a lot of background noise or complex soil structures, it can be more difficult to accurately pinpoint the location of underground pipes.
Why hire professional utility locating services?
Mapping underground utilities is difficult. Hiring a professional service offers several advantages:
- Safety: Professional services greatly reduce the risk of accidentally hitting a utility line. Damaging underground utilities can cause explosions, fires, floods, and electrocutions.
- Precision: Professionals use advanced technology to map utilities accurately and comply with industry regulations.
- Efficiency: Accurate utility maps prevent project delays and the need to redo work.
- Cost savings: Investing in professional utility locating can save you money by preventing costly repairs, service interruptions, and legal problems.
In short, hiring a professional service is a good way to protect workers and prevent damage.
Why data accuracy is key
Automated utility mapping programs sound great, but they often rely on data that isn’t very good, which increases risk. “As-built” data may be inaccurate or old. “As-intended” data? That might not reflect what was actually installed.
That’s why there’s no substitute for experienced technicians using advanced tools. You need “boots on the ground” to make sure the data is accurate. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electromagnetic (EM) locators are critical for detecting underground utilities.
Remember: Data Control = Damage Control™. The more accurate and reliable your data, the better.
Final Thoughts
Knowing what’s beneath the surface is essential for keeping construction and excavation projects safe and efficient. Accurate underground utility mapping can prevent costly damage, serious injuries, and even fatalities. When lives and infrastructure are on the line, it pays to prioritize safety and precision.
The best way to minimize the risk of hitting a buried utility line is to use a multi-layered approach: Call 811 before digging, hire a professional private utility locator, and use a secure mapping platform to keep track of your findings.
Although it may seem like an added expense, investing in professional utility locating services is a cost-effective way to safeguard your projects, protect the public, and ensure that your work is completed safely and successfully. When you factor in the safety, precision, efficiency, and potential cost savings, it’s an investment that’s well worth making.