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dd21.indd 1 8/26/10 12:14:24 PM How do you stop easement painting? The utility must process of damage prevention. It didn’t take long to realize find the practice unacceptable and employ locating that this was easier said than done; damage prevention is quality audits to ferret out locators using the practice. The not so much of a linear process. 1 As it turned out, this nderstudy Yardstick: Locating Quality Audits shows you how it’s done. idea of presenting damage prevention in a linear fashion— U In addition, regulatory pressure stamps out easement while far from perfect— survived. painting and other poor locating practices. A Game of Inches depicts an investigation conducted by a Underground, Understood presents the “photos-tell- state regulatory agency whereby the utility the-story” content in three phases: before, The Structure of Underground was found not to have located their pipe during and after. Before “what,” during accurately, as state law requires. “what,” and after “what” is admittedly Infrastructure Protection a bit fuzzy. We started by thinking By Mike Parilac, Publisher Information prevents damages, excavation was the “what” but [email protected] right? Look at the first photo in it wasn’t that simple. Then we our story Top Secret. If told the thought of the “what” as one-call If you ask my accountant what “digging” or “locating” Let’s move beyond human damage prevention conflict. water service was unusually notification, but again, it wasn’t means, she’d talk about rummaging though stacked boxes Guess what the Federal Highway Administration claims shallow, do you think the that simple. So we decided that filled with receipts or actually finding the one receipt she is the biggest reason for highway construction delays? concrete saw operator could before, during, and after would was seeking. So when she recently asked what our magazine Yep, conflicts with previously undocumented utility have moved the saw a couple stand alone, a testament to dealt with, I expected the standard response I get when lines. Why isn’t the utility world keeping better track of inches? Instead, someone’s the lack of linearity in damage friends or family ask the same thing: “Oh.” That’s why I of their buried asset locations? The answer is as elusive without water and the cost of the prevention. nearly fell out of my chair when she said her excavator son as the question is complex. Responding to questions job just went up. Sometimes, the (who knew?) gets so frustrated when dealing with locators about a telecommunications outage, a spokeswoman devil is in the lack of details. Underground Focus believes that there and bad marks. for Connecticut’s Metro-North’s commuter rail line are hundreds of stories to select from to offered her assessment of While it’s easy to identify conflict in populate this publication in future years. undocumented cables: damage prevention, it’s also easy to find Considering a continuing deterioration of our “They’re like a bone a dog collaboration. Paint it White details the surge underground infrastructure and a boom cycle in buried and then forgot.” in pre-marking following a successful, collaborative construction somewhere around the corner, more conflict effort amongst the city’s utilities and their excavation than we can imagine awaits us. Speaking of dogs, aren’t contractors. “Pre-marking saves money” is a tough sale they a perfect symbol for until done enough to prove it. By practicing what they No one understands everything there is to know about damage prevention? Dogs preach, these utilities convinced other excavators to the underground. Understanding the underground is a dig. Dogs find things. give pre-marking a try. The results are nothing short of journey, a journey which begins when you turn the page.UF Dogs guide the blind. phenomenal. Once you throw obedi- ence in the mix, there’s no Safety Meetings: better metaphor for safe Aim to Teach, Don’t Preach excavation than dogs. But why is it that safe excava- Each year, the nation’s one-call centers conduct over tion sometimes resembles 3,000 safety meetings specifically tailored for excavators. less the swinging tail of a Perhaps these meetings represent the one moment in happy, digging dog and time each year when collaboration between excavator and more of a dog-eat-dog utility has the greatest chance to grow roots. Education— tale? As always, the devil is listening and learning about the other person’s job—can in the details. go a long way in resolving conflict in damage prevention. We had this type of meeting in mind when we conceived Check out our story the content and structure of Underground, Understood. We Conflict aptly describes more than a few relationships in Easement Painting: Exposed! It’s called easement painting knew we wanted something people brought out to their damage prevention. There’s conflict between excavator when the locator spreads out markings on the ground to truck, not put back on the table or slip into the nearest and locator, between contract locator and their customer’s create a wide tolerance zone. Easement painting is fast; garbage can. We had to educate without being preachy. employees, and between excavator and utility claims you don’t have to waste time using an instrument. If the personnel, to name a few. These conflicts are easy to excavator damages any of these mismarked cables, they’ll When we began thinking about an annual Underground, understand; someone who hand digs for twenty minutes get a repair bill from the utility since no cable is more than Understood issue, we thought it’d be wise to create a flow looking for a line that’s not there tends to look for someone 18 inches from a paint mark. chart of sorts designed to allow the reader to visualize the to blame. 4 5 Throughout the text of Underground, Understood, you’ll see numbered gray triangles. We use paired triangles to emphasize the interconnectivity of various processes in damage prevention. Damage prevention is not so much of a linear process. 1 You may have noticed the first gray triangle on the previous page. We call these triangles "tie-ins" * While not linear, damge prevention does not work without the cohesiveness and and a listing of tie-in locations by page number can be found below. The tie-in partner for the connectivity of its various components. previous page is found on the next page.

Mapfusion Replacing The Paint It White Aging Infrastructure As-Built Says What?

Witching Sticks Mission One-Call Don't Make The List

When Will GPS Replace Locating?

Staying Power Focus Forward

The Zone Line Spotting Trench Protection= Damage Prevention

The Yardstick: Locating Quality Audits One.Call.Databases Easement Painting One Call Won't Locate All Top Secret

What's In My Line? Damage Prevention PLAY Down To The Wire Flashback Disaster Prevention

Tie-ins * 5: pages 11 and 20 10: pages 43 and 44 1: pages 5 and 7 6: pages 12 and 66 11: pages 47 and 70 2: pages 10 and 21 7: pages 13 and 16 12: pages 39 and 47 3: pages 10 and 27 8: pages 22 and 73 13: pages 39 and 70 4: pages 10 and 25 9: pages 23 and 74 14: pages 37 and 68 A Game of Inches Oops 6 7 Before

• Underground EM Locating • Ground Penetrating Radar of subsurface utilities (GPR) Surveys which assist IT’S NOT in finding utilities that are • Vacuum Excavation untraceable and/or have provides excavation no direct access JUST without the chance of damaging utilities

UNDER • GPS/GIS Mapping service Damage prevention begins not when • Sewer/Pipe camera excavators drop their GROUND... inspections buckets, but when the engineers develop • Leak Detection for their plans. water/air lines Bad plans cause as many damages as backhoe buckets, trenchers, and drill heads —bad plans just need more time. Oh, and you still need the (888) 858-9830 • www.BHUG.com buckets, trenchers, and drill heads.

9 ...when crews dig to fix broken water pipes, "there's now Verizon lines that didn't used to be there, cable lines, fiber lines, electrical lines," said District of Columbia water general manager George Hawkins. 2

The location of underground utilities is critical The underground utility location data “The Corrosion of America” information needed for the upgrade or replacement collected during SUE The need is tremendous. The nation’s network of of any type of above ground or below ground is classified into four water systems was right at the bottom of the latest infrastructure. quality levels: infrastructure grades handed out by the American Whether it’s highways, streets, bridges, or rails, our 1. Quality Level D—information Society of Civil Engineers, receiving a D-minus. derived form existing records or oral visible infrastructure deteriorates over time and needs recollections. Jeffrey Griffiths, the chairman of the Drinking periodic repair or replacement. The same is true for 2. Quality Level C—information Water Panel of the Science Advisory Board of the our invisible infrastructure: the pipes and cables obtained by surveying and plotting Environmental Protection Agency, told The Times: which transport liquids, gases, electrons, and photons, visible above ground utility features and by using professional judgment “We’re relying on water systems built by our great- as well as any infrastructure used to support the pipe in correlating this information to grandparents... But because everything is out of and cables in earth. Quality Level D. sight, no one really understands how bad things 3. Quality Level B—Information Determining conflicts between construction plans obtained through the application have become.” and the location of invisible underground utilities is of appropriate surface geophysical - Bob Herbert, Op-Ed Columnist a process known as subsurface utility engineering, or methods to determine the existence New York Times - October 26, 2010 and approximate horizontal position SUE. SUE is a standardized process for the collection of subsurface utilities. of all underground utility location data for the 4. Quality Level A— Precise horizontal creation of an amalgamated, or consolidated, utility and vertical location of utilities mapping product. 4 obtained by the actual exposure Wooden pipes are and subsequent measurement of still in use in some Who uses SUE? State DOTs, universities, industrial subsurface utilities, usually at a parts of the U.S. complexes, and others impacted by the location of specific point. Federal, state buried infrastructure. The above list is taken from Standard Guidelines for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data, and municipal CI/ASCE 38-02. governments may one day A simpler interpretation: appropriately fund 1. Through the use of utility maps and records the systematic replacement 2. Through the use of visual observation of antiquated water and sewer utilities. 3. Through the use of electronic instruments When this large-scale renewal occurs, 4. By excavating one-call centers will see record activity. 3

These are the only four ways to find utilities. 5 10 11 “Engineering is the practice of safe and economic application of the scientific laws governing the forces and materials of nature by means of organization, design, and construction, for the general benefit of mankind.” —S.E. Lindsay, 1920

Gases

Electrons

Pipes transport fluids or gases, such as water or natural gas. The primary Fluids function of a pipe-based utility is to transport product from point to point without leakage. Pipes are constructed of many different types of metallic and At the point of damage, any leaking utility product nonmetallic materials. might represent a potential immediate hazard to excavating personnel. The hazard may extend to An underground utility is a Cables transport electrons in order to those responding to the damage or the general Photons network of pipes and cables power the electrical grid. Transporting public as well. which transport one of the electrons must be performed over cables made of metal. Cables also transport following products: The dig site is marked by locators responding to the electrons to enable communication, such From a damage prevention standpoint, excavator’s use of the one-call system. The locators 1. Fluids as phone, video, or internet. The transport there are only two possible outcomes use portable electromagnetic instruments to denote of photons, or light energy, also enables 2. Gases of any excavation activity: the location of metallic underground utilities with communication but can do so using cables colored paint and flags; their instruments cannot 3. Electrons that contain no metal. 1. No utility damage find nonmetallic lines. 7 4. Photons 2. Utility damage Excavation damage causes leaks in pipes, A damaged underground pipe but what about cables? In the sense or cable can produce a mere that a leak is a diversion of product, For argument’s sake, let’s say 99% of all inconvenience or the potential for excavation damage causes leaks in cables excavations result in outcome #1. Why is the disaster. 6 too. Excavation damage may result in percentage of excavations resulting in damage so diminished service, the complete loss of low? The use of a one-call system provides the utility service, or result in an immediate excavator with knowledge of where underground hazard to life or property. utilities are located at the dig site. 12 13 In the event of an accidental pipeline product release, product vapors will travel farther and faster than the product itself. Even if an ignition source is far away from the site of the product release, the vapors could potentially ignite and flash back to the product causing an explosion and/or fire. When a flammable substance is mixed with air it may ignite. If there is not enough fuel, the fuel to air mixture will be too lean and won’t burn. The minimum concentration of product that will burn in air is considered the lower explosive limit (LEL) of that substance. If too much of a flammable substance is mixed with air, it is considered to be too rich and won’t burn. The upper explosive limit (UEL) of a product is the maximum amount that can burn when mixed with air. The larger the explosive range of a flammable substance, the greater the chances are for that product to explode or burn when it is mixed with air.

14 Down to the Wire Fiber optic communication cables are often manufactured without any Like a coaxial cable line, a copper phone line, or an electric line, a tracer metallic content. wire’s purpose is to transport electrons. Electrical current placed on tracer wires is used to locate nonmetallic pipes or cables with Several tracing utilities have been standard electromagnetic locating equipment. developed to locate this type of unlocatable cable, such as this tracer Seldom is tracer wire considered a utility. The standard of care wire installed alongside the strands of for installation and maintenance optical fiber. of tracer wire, however, is no less than any other utility. A poorly installed or maintained tracer wire system renders one-call An aluminum locators impotent; sheath lining their instruments cannot the interior of a find nonmetallic utilities. 7 conduit.

The location of the tracing system is not always inline with the nonmetallic utility. Tonable metallic tape inside How many utilities are here? and pulled up and through the top of a conduit. Tracer wire embedded in conduit

In congested underground environments, locating metallic utilities in an accurate manner sometimes proves to be extremely difficult. Locating a tracer wire installed alongside A lot of stress is placed on tracing commonly-bonded metallic utilities pulled alongside plastic utilities often provides pipes and conduits on trenchless superior locating results, as installations. Copper wire sewn into compared to attempts to locate pulling tape places the stress on the fiber the actual pipes or cables. tape, not the copper wire. 16 17 2010 SPX 2010 © RD8000® Radiodetection Universal Precision Cable and Pipe Locator

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Only utility companies that are members of their state’s one-call system will respond to an excavator’s request for WITCHING STICKS DON’T MAKEpipes and cables exist withinTHE the dig site. If mapsLIST utility location information. Private utilities are pipes and indicate underground pipes or cables are present, cables owned by others, generally the property owner. There’s a huge difference between knowing then an electronic instrument is used to trace the underground utilities exist and knowing their metal utility through the dig site. The locator uses exact location. Only by #4—digging to expose visual observation to match up tracing results to Experts: U.S. Water Infrastructure in Trouble utility lines—are exact locations obtained 100% the appropriate above ground utility structures. "...When crews dig to fix broken water pipes, These are the only four of the time. Use of the other methods will produce Visual observation is also used to confirm map 'there's now Verizon lines that didn't used to be ways to find utilities, 5 omissions and inaccuracies. and record information. there, cable lines, fiber lines, electrical lines,' and they are listed below said District of Columbia water general manager in ascending order of Effective damage prevention calls for employment Most times, the excavator uses excavation as George Hawkins. 'So much has been added to the precision: of all four detection methods by both the facility a means of determining underground utility underworld, that each one of these fixes is getting owner and excavator. It is only in this instance that location when the job involves work near a more and more complicated to get done properly.' 1. Through the use of visual observation damage prevention produces optimal results. marked line. The excavator generally is not given The nation's capital, Hawkins said, averages about 2. Through the use of utility maps and records access to utility company maps and records. So one water pipe break each day." 2 The excavator’s use of a one-call system generally 3. Through the use of electronic instruments: unless the excavator uses electronic instruments Alison Kosik results in the utility company locator using the first electromagnetic instruments and ground to verify locating accuracy and completeness, CNN.com—January 21, 2011 three methods. A locator uses his company’s maps penetrating radar visual observation becomes the only method for and records to determine whether underground site verification of the locator’s work. 4. By excavating: probing, hand tools and vacuum excavation

20 21 When will How does GPS assist in damage prevention? For years, one-call centers have accepted GPS 1 2 GPS Replace coordinates from excavators to assist with identifying Locating? dig areas. Today, GPS enables facility owners to shrink the What’s Close size of their geographic coverage territory thereby Enough? trimming the number of one-call tickets received. Some facility owners actively collect GPS coordinates to document the location of newly Here’s what we found in the field: installed pipes or cables. They also collect coordinates on their lines at the location of maintenance activity 1 To verify the accuracy of the GPS readings, a locating on older parts of their systems, or when their system instrument’s transmitter connects to a test wire leading to the is exposed for any reason. 36" pipeline. 4

The locating instrument’s receiver is held over the High pedigree GPS information integrated with other 2 pipeline. location information found on system utility maps enhance a locator’s ability to provide accurate marks. 3 The plugged in GPS coordinates say the operator’s position is 19' west of the centerline of the pipeline. What is possible now with a GPS? 4 A measurement of 19' puts the pipe’s location 1' off the center of the pipeline. Although there is a 1' error, the Pipeline location as indicated The coordinates get plugged into a company’s $100.00 GPS allows positioning that is still on top of the line. by locating instrument mapping system. This pipeline was installed ten

years ago and GPS coordinates were taken every 120' , at each field weld. At the time of installation, the readings were obtained with a survey grade GPS Moving forward... system. 8 It’s hard to say when we’ll retire the Pipeline right-of-way current process of providing excavators with temporary information.

3 Aided by GPS, a look into the future 3 6″ may see excavators supplied with easily Pi 12″ pe li accessible, accurate, and never-to-change ne Width of pipeline A pipeline operator can 19′ information. 9 obtain a position with a 36″ $100 GPS unit. Is this close enough to replace locating? 22 23 A consolidated utility map populated with accurate latitude, longitude, and elevation data points, Mapfusion enable the viewer to see spatial relationships Schematic Utility Map amongst all utility systems. Such is the ROADIC system utilized in Japan and maintained by a central utility authority, not dissimilar to a one-call Mapping used to denote system. While there is little in the way of “locating” in Japan, there is a wealth of underground utility Japan’s ROADIC underground utility system System location can be divided into location information available to excavators two formats: through the ROADIC system.

1. Schematic In the U.S., SUE companies build consolidated 2. Roadmap utility maps for the specific needs of their customers. 4 Outside of the U.S., utility companies work together The schematic map favors system attributes over to produce consolidated utility maps which are shared Roadmap Utility Map by all utilities. These maps allow each utility to view location while the roadmap utility map format each other's location information, reducing the cost of generally places equal emphasis on system attributes future planning and engineering needs. and location information.

Although utility companies join together in the practice of consolidated, or contract locating—one locator marks for multiple utility companies—the maps and records of the various utility companies are rarely consolidated. A locator marking for three utility companies needs to access three different mapping systems.

Even in instances when one utility company operates multiple utility systems, the mapping systems for the individual utility generally do not allow the locator to see all systems depicted simultaneously.

The map above is an example of a roadmap-style, consolidated utility map featuring four utilities. The map to the left is a schematic-style, consolidated utility map showing two utilities.

This illustration shows how both gas and electric systems might be depicted on one While not a map, the screen above shows an map. It was produced for Underground Focus example of a schematic format. Schematics show by a company that owns both utilities, but the operational relationship between the various maintains separate mapping for each system. components of a utility system, such as this electric system. 24 25 The potential of a large-scale, systematic replacement of antiquated water and sewer utilities brings with it the potential for record use of one-call centers. 3

Approximately 30,000,000 times a year, excavators notify a United States one-call center of their intent to dig. Once digging is complete, no more than 1% of these excavations result in a damage to underground utility lines.

Why do damages occur? Well, according to the most recent determinations by the Texas Railroad Commission, underground utility damage in their state was the fault of the excavator 51% of the time, the fault of the utility operator 35% of the time, and the fault of “miscellaneous” 14% of the time.

26 27 Because it involves a trip to the job site prior to submitting a one-call request, excavator backlash against voluntarily pre-marking job sites is not uncommon. Typically, excavators discover that the benefits of pre-marking are worth the investment. As witnessed within the city of Chicago, an Paint is a method of nonverbal communication that is primarily used by the effective excavator outreach program can dramatically increase the use of pre-marking. locator to indicate the position of buried pipes and cables. But paint is increasingly Chicago's 2009 Whitelining Flyer becoming a means for the excavator to nonverbally communicate to the locator. While mandatory in a small minority of states, whitelining—or pre-marking— precisely indicates the excavation’s boundaries, enabling the locator to know where markings need to be placed and more importantly, where they do not.

●Chicago

The following whitelining statistics were gathered by locating personnel:

% of Dig Tickets Dig Tickets Dig Tickets Processed Whitelined July 2009 8100 149 1.8% August 2009 7900 188 2.4% September 2009 9605 212 2.2% October 2009 8776 202 2.3% November 2009 6700 112 1.7%

After Pre-marking Campaign July 2010 5974 1008 17.22% August 2010 7089 1431 20.19% September 2010 9483 2038 21.49% October 2010 8078 1652 20.45% November 2010 6950 1651 23.76%

28 29

During

Here's a snapshot of material dealing with one call databases from the special mapping and gridding edition of Underground Focus in 1989.

The one-call center houses and manages a warehouse of geographic information used to facilitate a just- in-time delivery service of underground utility location information to an excavator’s job site.

When the excavator places an order for utility location information, the one-call center delivers geographic information pulled from its warehouse to the utilities which operate underground lines in the vicinity.

Locators deliver the utility location information to the job site. .

32 33 JOIN

Reduce Damage to Underground Facilities For more information, contact your local One-Call Center or the Common Ground Alliance: 703.836.1709

ALABAMA ARIZONAarizona CALIFORNIA/NEVADACalifornia/Neveda pennsylvania Excavattiion Requeessttss::

Insiide Marriicopa Couunnttyy:: 602--263--1100 USAIn California Nor & Nevadath Thank you to our Photo Contributors! Outsiide Marriicopa Coouunnttyy:: Call 2 Working Days to 1-800--STAKE--IIT ((7822--55334488)) 14 Calendar Days Before You Dig! Stattewiide… Diiall 881111 Elgin (IL) Fire Department Every project…. every time !!!! Every project…. every time !!!! Gwinnett County (GA) Department of Fire and Emergency Services x Provide 2 full working days notice 811 / 1-800-227-2600 x It’s Fast, It’s Free, It’s the LawLaw Martinsville (IN) Reporter-Times www.azbluestake..com www.usanorth.org Milton (ON) Fire Department Longmont (CO) Fire Department FLORIDA GEORGIAflorida ILLINOISGeorgia sunshine state Dial 811 or 800-282-7411 south carolina Fort Myers (FL) Fire Department ONE CALL KNOW WHAT’S BELOW sunshine state Dial 811 or 800-282-7411 o f f l o r i d a ALWAYS CALL 811 ONE CALLIt’s the law KNOWin Georgia. WHAT’S BELOW The McDuffie (GA) Mirror BEFORE YOU DIG o f f l o r i dwww.gaupc.com a ALWAYS CALL 811 It’s the law in Georgia. BEFORE YOU DIG www.gaupc.com Poudre (CO) Fire Authority Michael Livingston, Cruz Brothers Locators Inc Eitel Singleton, Eric Bergstrom, HBK Engineering LLC Doug Reeves, Greg Drawbaugh, Q3 Contracting www.callsunshine.com Doug Brown, McKim & Creed www.callsunshine.com Joe Berry, CenterPoint Energy INDIANA IOWA MICHIGAN Mark Monroe, Georgia Power Company illinois Indiana/kentucky 3iowa WORKING DAYS texas David VanWy, JULIE Illinois One Call System ÜÜܰ՘`iÀ}ÀœÕ˜`Ã>viÌÞ>ˆ>˜Vi°œÀ} BEFORE YOU DIG Mitch Urbain & Pat Beal, Unibar DPG www.undergroundsafetyalliance.org CALL MISS DIG® Pete Gomez, Xcel Energy SM ÜÜÜ°ˆ˜`ˆ>˜>n££°œÀ} ÜÜÜ°Ži˜ÌÕVŽÞn££°œÀ} Gregg Nadess, Hydro-Exc. Inc. SM www.indiana811.org www.kentucky811.org 800.482.7171 For free location of public utility lines. Bill Balin, Celeritas Technologies www.missdig.org Brent Sawyer, Occidental Permian ®

Underground Focus 2/03 2/4/03 9:50 AM Page 1 Ray Merewether, SeekTech MISSOURI MA ME NH RI VT NEW MEXICO Chris Cleveland, Alliance Pipeline Underground Focus 2/03 2/4/03 9:50 AM Page 1 michigan CALL missouriDIG SAFE® new mexico utah Gary Read, Village of Shorewood, IL 3 Days Before You Dig BEFORE YOU DIG Doug Ostberg, Able Detection Services Massachusetts, Vance Green, Detection Specialists Inc. Call Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Call at least 2 days before you dig! Robert Peterson, Ground Water & Environmental Services, Inc.

MISS DIG 800.321.ALERT Bill Edwards, Forkert Engineering & Surveying, Inc. 1.888.DIG.SAFE Call at least 2 days before you dig! 1.888.(344.7233) 260.1990 Albuquerque www.nmonecall.org Dave Roller, United Rentals www.digsafe.com 800.321.ALERT www.missdig.org 260.1990 Albuquerque Steve Meredith, GE Energy Services www.nmonecall.org Michael Noone, New York State Dept. of Public Safety 2024 Underground Focus Jan / Feb 2009 Keith Mitchell,Peter Kiewit Sons Co. New york north carolina ohio wyoming Steve Abrew, Consolidated Utility Services

Call 2 business days before you dig! Special thanks to Ron Rosencrans and Jim Anspach 48 hours, but no more than 10 working days It’s fast, It’s free before you dig anywhere in the five boroughs of & It’s the law! New York City and on Long Island. If we missed acknowledging your contribution, please let us 1-800-849-2476 *Formerly the New York City & Long Island One Call Center know because we want to thank you in our next issue. 800-272-4480 | 811 | www.DigNetNYCLI.com

34 35 Part of every state damage prevention law is dedicated to the establishment of a tolerance zone. By custom, the tolerance zone serves two purposes:

1. Tells an excavator where A 10-chapter, they must hand-dig versus 113-minute using machines 14 training video 2. Determines whether a utility marked their lines in an intended for Section 1: Energize accurate manner any level of Section 2: Peak & Null expertise, Section 3: Round Fields & Path of Least Resistance from laymen, Section 4: Frequencies & Current Laws are sand, Section 5: Vertical Inspection of the Field customs are rock. to novice, -Mark Twain

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LUdvdad.indd 1 10/26/10 12:31 PM Given the millions of photos taken during the damage prevention process, it's difficult to say that photos actually prevent damages. Photos serve as tools for liability avoidance. The photos taken by locators could be excellent training or auditing aids, 12 but most locator photos get archived away, serving as an insurance policy in case there's a struck line. 13 Excavators increasingly take photos before they dig at job sites for the same reason: as an insurance policy.

The photos on these pages were taken by the electric company following strikes to their lines. Sometimes, photos taken after a line strike will indicate whether excavators abided by tolerance zone protocol. On the opposite page, the two markings on the curb indicate the 3-phase cable was adequately located. The first photo shows the location of the cable crossing the road while the second photo shows an offset mark indicating the cable is five feet behind the curb. The line was struck between these two curb marks suggesting the excavator used machinery to dig inside the tolerance zone. .

The two photos on this page were taken following the repair of the cut line. Based on the freshness of the red mark on the pavement, it appears that the cut cable was not originally marked by the locator. The red mark at the edge of the pavement was likely placed following an emergency notification to the one-call center. This suggests the excavator was not using machinery inside the tolerance zone.

38 39 Considering a margin of error of 100%, the actual depth of this located utility could be 2” deep or 8” deep. No matter which reading is produced, this is a shallow line likely to be severed by any number of tools used to 7 During remove asphalt or pavement. All professional excavators know that most locators use instruments that provide digital depth readings. Excavators argue that utility depth information would save them time and 7 During money. But would it help reduce damages? Excavators say “yes,” but utility companies flatly say “no.”

topUtilities Secret say that locating instruments are incapable of consistently providing accurate pipe and cable depth. That much is true. Any one of a variety of factors may produce a depth reading which falls outside a top Secret reasonable margin of error.

What about shallow utilities? Could utilities Is it any wonder these gas lines were cut with agree that passing along a shallow depth hand tools? reading to an excavator may actually prevent damages? Or, is this information top secret; does potential instrument inaccuracy trump the potential to avoid damage?

There are plenty of reasons why utility lines are shallow. But if excavators are allowed to use mechanized equipment to remove pavement before hand-digging near marked utilities, shouldn’t they be forewarned of shallow depth readings? Is the spirit of damage prevention compromised by never communicating depth readings? After all, it’s rare to be able to see shallow lines. 40 41 Easement Painting: Exposed! Why do locators easement paint? Because it's quick and typically helps them avoid damages, since the excavator is required to hand-dig within the tolerance zone. Easement painting constitutes a severe lack of Pictured is a contracting crew hand-digging across locator competency. A lack of locator competency should never become a persistent problem. Consistent the customer’s driveway in an effort to install a and random locator audits are extremely effective at revealing poor locating, before poor locating becomes storm drain. The customer lives on a cul-de-sac; a dangerous. Naturally, consistency is the key to conducting a successful random locating quality audit

neighbor’s driveway is seen in the forefront. The program. 10 front easement utilities—gas, electric, phone, and cable lines—sport paint and flags.

The contractor exposed the customer’s gas service at the hole just beyond the wheelbarrow’s handle. The customer’s gas service is plastic: the only way to locate the service is to locate the tracer wire positioned next to the service.

This photo reveals an outside, fourth orange marking at the hole. The contractor digs down only to find at least four new lines!

An exposed, shallow electric secondary Connect the yellow marks on either side of the line is visible in the background. The hole, through the hole and it’s easy to conclude the photo on top of the next page illustrates how far the red markings are from the yellow marks were “eyeballed” and not located with actual location of this electric line. an instrument. This practice is termed easement painting. When excavators uncover easement utility system. In most cases, easement painters painting they become conditioned to distrust the successfully create wide tolerance zones through validity of one-call markings. use of multiple markings. Seldom do the markings Easement painting is an abuse of the tolerance accurately label specific lines, but seldom is any zone; locators are able to eyeball utility locations individual line positioned more than 18" or 24" based on visual observation and knowledge of the from a mark.

42 43 The Yardstick: Locating Quality Audits How do you know locators are competent? The answer depends on whether you are an excavator or a utility company. Excavators never miss an opportunity to assess locator competency when they hand-dig on marks. While there are a lot of reasons why lines are mismarked, one is a lack of locator competency.

A lack of locator competency should never become a persistent problem. Consistent and random locator audits are extremely effective at revealing poor locating, before poor locating becomes dangerous. Naturally, consistency is the key to conducting a successful random locating

quality audit program. 10

A locating audit consists of an auditor visiting a job site with the same tools and information used by the locator being audited.

Underground Focus followed two different audits from start to finish. Audit #1

The auditor selects a random locate from the database, the only parameter required is that he audits a job site that was marked (versus a “cleared” job where no lines were painted or flagged).

An emergency locate requested for a water main break is selected to inspect. The locating and the excavation occurred the previous day.

Arriving on site, the auditor reviews the gas company’s service record for 608 Williams before exiting his truck.

44 45 Audit #2 Photos Tell The Story

The auditor chooses to audit a different Many one-call locators are required to photograph locator. the job site and their markings. 11

The selected job site is located along a busy Auditors utilize locators’ photos to analyze the road, where according to the locate ticket, the locating quality provided to excavators. 12 The excavator is likely on site. gas service in the street is clearly painted on the Upon arriving on-site, the auditor checks the afternoon of December 20th. gas company’s map.

Next, the auditor speaks with the excavator and confirms that marks are still visible.

The auditor hooks-up his instrument to the tracer wire and verifies the accuracy of the gas When the auditor arrives at 608 Williams markings. the next day, there’s more snow on the ground and there are no locate flags visible. The photo taken by the locator ensures that the gas line was marked the previous day by both paint and flags.

Photos taken a day apart show the degree of degradation than can occur when paint is placed on hard surfaces in the winter.

46 47 MARKMARK ® MAKEMAKEYOURYOUR Krylon IndustrIal the loCators’ ChoICe In MarKIng QuIK-MarK™ solvent-Based ® MarKIng PaInt: PaInt... Krylon IndustrIal QuIK-MarK™ Fast drying, high solids formula penetrates and adheres to cold, damp surfaces for long lasting markings. Krylon® IndustrIal QuIK-MarK™ Water-Based MarKIng PaInt: Fast drying, high solids formula penetrates and adheres to hot, dry surfaces for moderate-term markings.

Krylon® IndustrIal QuIK-MarK™ Wands: Easy to use and lightweight with a comfortable grip to ease finger fatigue. Krylon® IndustrIal QuIK-MarK™ MarKIng ChalKs: For temporary marks which are easily 17 oz removed with a wire brush & water. 15 oz Various can sizes to fit all jobs. 12 oz Krylon® Industrial Quik-Mark™ delivers a line you Can Count on When it comes to marking paint, Krylon® Industrial understands what locators need to make their mark every day. The Krylon® Industrial Quik-Mark™ offering provides a complete line of Marking Paints and Chalks available in both water and solvent-based formulations in 20 APWA and Fluorescent colors for every application. Featuring the highest delivery tip in the industry and a UV resistant, VOC/MIR compliant, non-fading formulation, Krylon® Industrial Quik-Mark™ was developed specifically for the Utility Locator to deliver a quality mark (in one-pass) every time. There’s a reason why Utility Locators prefer Krylon® Industrial Quik-Mark™ 2 to 1* over any other brand. Try it for yourself and make your mark with Krylon® Industrial Quik-Mark™. KrylonIndustrial.com *Guideline Division of the Opinion Research Corporation Research Project at 2009 CGA Excavation Safety Conference & Expo Snow, ice, and water make painting marks on hard surfaces quite challenging. If paint is heavily S applied on a wet, hard surface that sees little traffic, odds are good that the marks will still be around for T the excavator. Marks placed in the same A conditions on a surface with a fair amount of traffic won’t fare nearly Y P as well. I O N W G E R On occasion, obscured or destroyed markings play a role in winter digging accidents.

Sometimes, excavators interpret a lack of marks as meaning “no lines,” particularly when other marks are visible. Paint marks on icy, snow-encrusted hard surfaces may look radically different depending on when the marks were made.

Because different locators may arrive at a job site at different times, one set of paint marks on a hard surface may be highly visible while another set of marks may be virtually invisible.

While most state laws are silent when it comes to utilities marking during inclement weather, prudent excavators call for re-marks when wintery conditions exist.

Winter marking on hard surfaces has been an issue since the dawn of damage prevention. While it’s possible that the future may produce specialty marking products for wet and wintery conditions, it seems a mapping solution would be the best guard against an excavator making the “no lines” assumption. 50 From a utility perspective, not “owning” One means no marking. Call Won't Locate

With the excavating crew looking on, this photo captures All the moment that an electric company employee explains to the manager of a university facility without power that the electric company does not own the electric line damaged Known as “private by excavation. utilities,” these are pipes and cables not marked by locators responding to one-call requests. What makes a utility private? For one thing, one-call members do not own these utilities. From a utility Utility structures situated at property lines often indicate perspective, not “owning” For the most part, any line past a the end of utility ownership, thus the end of one-call means no marking. For meter is not going to be located by markings. These structures include telecommunication example, the exposed the utility. boxes, water service valve boxes, and in some sanitary sewer lateral is not jurisdictions, gas service valve boxes. marked because the sewer utility—most generally a Additionally, with little exception, 277 or 480 volt service municipality—does not cables exiting 3-phase transformers are not marked by claim ownership of this electric utilities. Irrigation lines installed by the property pipe. In their view, the pipe owner and located entirely on private property are an belongs to the property example of a line which will never be marked by one-call owner. locators. 52 First and foremost, proper trench protection saves lives. Trench protection Electric also prevents underground utility damage.

Trench safety experts estimate that only Gas a small percentage—some say 10%, some say 20%—of excavations comply with OSHA safety regulations. Most significantly, this lack of compliance puts workers’ well-being at risk. A lack of compliance also puts impacted utility lines at risk of damage. It is impossible to say exactly what happened to the taped- off plastic gas service. Same goes for the missing gas line at the service tap. It seems clear, though, that the electric line was cut when the trench was dug.

54 55  Trench Protection = Damage Prevention SafetySafety inin ExcavationExcavation www.safetyinexcavation.com Vol. 74 Issue 1 © 2004 Safety Products Engineering Group Contractor Bets on a SHORE THING Kinsel Industries, now a part of Insitu-Form, variety of applications that were encountered. can’t take any chances when it comes to the proj- Carlos Zambrano was one of the many fore- ect constructed in Jacksonville, Florida. The con- men on this vast project. Carlos appreciated the In This Issue tract with the city utility authority, J.E.A., is a five fast and dependable service provided by Trench – year, $160 million contract that initially required Shoring Services to meet the ever-changing A SHORE THING the bursting and replacement of sewer pipeline at ground conditions. 1 a rate of over 45,000 lf. PER WEEK. This  includes the tie-in of utilities to the community. The Jacksonville TSS facility also provides steel trench boxes and road plates to the region. CPT Are you losing A great deal of the work is done in tight conditions training is available in English and Spanish to 2 $$$ in the wet? +2:$5(<28*2,1*7252'(2" and back yards. meet the needs of the growing workforce. Kinsel Industries has a long history of putting safety to work, hand in hand with productivity. Industry 5(*,675$7,21,612:23(1 3 Notebook: ..most ultraSHORETM Internet Solution ‡&203(7,7,21'R<28KDYHZKDWLWWDNHV"6LJQXSWRGD\WRVKRZRII\RXUXWLOLW\ORFDWHWDOHQWV shields are light enough Library &RPSHWLWRU(QWU\)HH6FKRODUVKLS,QIRDYDLODEOHDWZZZ/RFDWH5RGHRFRPUtility damages occur for two men to handle in two possible sequences: OSHA Notebook: ‡63216256+,3Trench( injuries;322QHRIDNLQGGLUHFWPDUNHWLQJRSSRUWXQLW\WDUJHWHGDWWKHORFDWLQJLQGXVWU\ and fatalities occur 4 Myths vs Facts 1RRWKHUHYHQWEULQJVWRJHWKHUORFDWHWHFKQLFLDQVWKHLUFRPSDQLHVDQGVWDNHKROGHUVOLNHWKLVwhen earth moves. Damage to utilities ultra ultra Theultra 18” Rule 6SRQVRUVKLSDQG([SRLQIRDWZZZ/RFDWH5RGHRFRPalso occurs when earth moves. The 1. The line is damaged and then LIGHT VERSATILE SAFE likelihood of damage to these phone exposed. ‡92/817((5,1*0HHWRWKHUVQHWZRUNDQGH[SHULHQFH³5RGHR´¿UVWKDQG/RWVWRGRDQGORWVRI Taming the Great ducts rests with the stability of the earth 5 Salt Lake IXQ7KHUHDUHVHYHUDOGLIIHUHQWYROXQWHHURSSRUWXQLWLHVPDNHWKHPRVWRIWKHP2. The line is exposed and then walls supporting the iron beams. damaged. 5HJLVWHURUJHWPRUHLQIRDW 6 Safety Training ZZZ/RFDWH5RGHRFRP Quick to Install. Roll your own. Stacks easily with As light as 130 lbs. Optional wheel kit. 2’ & 4’ high panels. The project required constant monitoring for haz- 1HZ+RWHOIRU ardous atmospheres and protection of workers in the excavation. This is What Aluminum Shoring Was Meant to Be! +LOWRQ$WODQWD1RUWKHDVW1RUFURVV Ted Kepper checks air quality Did you The initial use of hydraulic shores proved to be know? 1LJKW7D[ too time consuming, slowing productivity and 1-800-SHORING increasing costs. The decision was made to use 746-7464 $VNIRUWKH³/RFDWH5RGHR5DWH´ the latest technology in aluminum trench shoring, You can see photos of hun- ultraSHORE ™ trench boxes manufactured in www.shoring.comdreds of shoring solutions  Denver, Colorado. The trench depths are less RIGHT NOW? than 12 ft. deep and ultraSHORE™ is well suit- ed to the Florida sands. A variety of Mini- Go to www.shoring.com for 6WDNLQJ8QLYHUVLW\ Excavators are used to handle the excavation and boxes, even though most ultraSHORE™ details. ,VRIIHULQJDRQHGD\WUDLQLQJRQ shields are light enough for two men to handle.

7KXUVGD\$XJXVW The local rental dealer for ultraSHORE™, Carlos ZambranoPhone:keeps 303-287-2264 a watch on safety. Trench Shoring Services, (TSS) was able to Fax: 303-287-2950 ZZZXQGHUVSDFHFRPVWDNLQJBXLQGH[SKS supply a wide selection of inventory to match the

+RVWHGE\ More stories at www.safetyinexcavation.com! Page 1 56

UF.April.indd 31 5/1/10 2:13:13 PM Line Spotting or.... Private locating ....marking out, potholing, company map Utility company map wanding, toning, staking, M-scoping, exposing, slot trenching......

In addition to the potential indicated Besides the fact that many utility maps don’t From the surface, excavators know underground precise location, utility maps and records have location information due to their schematic utilities are present by: reveal information about the type, size, and format, it’s rare when excavators acquire maps from 1. Seeing road cuts or depressions in asphalt or earth number of facilities. With regard to maps, utilities. Besides, schematics aren’t much better than 2. Seeing above ground utility structures excavators have the following choices: visual observation except when no above ground 1. Hire a private locating company to indications of utilities can be seen. create maps 2. Acquire maps from the utility companies

There are only two types of commercially available electronic instruments for the detection of In addition to hand-digging, nondestructive underground pipes and cables: means for exposing underground lines include 1. Electromagnetic the air movers and vacuum excavators. 2. Ground penetrating radar Of these two, only ground penetrating Exposing utilities is the only 100% foolproof method of knowing where utilities exist. The radar has the capacity to detect white, orange, and green vertical pipes mark nonmetallic pipes or cables. the exact location and exact depth of previously exposed utilities. 58 59 Well

TABLE OF CONTENTS In the oil patch, plans call for a new flow line (1130’) to Battery run to a battery. Resembling a spider web, multiple existing 4 View from the Underspace fiberglass flow lines leave their wells and converge on the 6 Anatomy of a Digging Accident Response battery. 18 One Call The flow lines need to be spotted in order for the excavation 20 A Service of Tradition crew to know where potential conflicts exist. A slot trench is dug with a vacuum excavator until the flow lines are detected. 24 Krylon Industrial

30 What to Look for When Buying a Vacuum Excavator

34 J.C. Edwards Plumbing Uses Locating to CompleteJobs Faster and Safer

36 Reputation Roadshows: Locating in a Town Near You

page Next, the lines are exposed at the 6 point where the new line will cross. With the four lines exposed, their location is permanently recorded in an ongoing effort to strengthen the location records of the oil patch.

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Partnering for excellence in Damage Prevention with: DigNet of New York City & Long Island Gopher State One Call Hawaii One Call Center Inland Empire Utility Coordinating Council Kansas One-Call Lone Star Notification Center Louisiana One Call Missouri One Call System, Inc. Miss Utility of Maryland New Jersey One Call North Dakota One Call The damage prevention PAUSE button Northwest Utility Notification Center gets pressed when utility damage occurs, Oregon Utility Notification Center or upon completion of a damage-free excavation. Utilities Service Protection Center of Delmarva, Inc. Utilities Underground Location Center Each PAUSE in damage prevention marks the beginning of new processes. Utility Washington, DC (District One Call) damages result in utility repair, disaster prevention, damage investigation and cost recovery. A damage-free excavation generates One Call Concepts, Inc. | 410.712.0082 | occinc.com new documentation for utility location information.

63

OCC-2010-9442 FP Mag Ad.indd 1 4/16/10 4:34:23 PM Damage Prevention PLAY Damage Prevention PAUSE

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. Some of us will do our job well and some of us will not, but we will — Sir Winston Churchill all be judged by only one thing—the result. — Vince Lombardi

Those who trust to chance must abide by the results of chance. Results are what you expect, and consequences are what you get.

64 — Calvin Coolidge — Author Unknown 65 When a pipe carrying a combustible or toxic product is damaged, fixing the hole in the pipe takes a back seat to determining Damage the extent of product migration; where the product has traveled prevention and where it is likely to travel. It’s sometimes fails. unfortunate, but people have died in explosions long after the pipeline strike occurred. In these instances, When it does, emergency responders lost their the best hope is for focus on product migration.

disaster prevention. Pipeline operators conduct drills with emergency management agencies and There are 2.6 million miles of natural gas In 2010, there were at least seven deaths and hazardous liquid pipelines in the U.S. attributable to excavation damage of natural hold educational events for gas or natural gas liquids pipelines. excavators and emergency According to the Pipeline and Hazardous responders. These sessions Materials Administration, the largest Because of their mission to provide public enable consideration and percentage of serious pipeline incidents safety, many one-call centers work hand-in- rehearsal of responses to in the years 2004 to 2009 was caused by hand with pipeline operators to carry out pipeline leaks. excavation damage. disaster prevention programs.

A damaged underground pipe or cable creates a mere inconvenience, or the potential for disaster. 6

66 But wait. Because the gas main damage took place in the center of the hole and not at the south edge of the hole, the inspector decided that Shortly after midnight, a gas locator responded to a measurement needed to be held directly over the cut gas main. To an emergency one-call request for a water leak. Later do this, a string was stretched between yellow marks on the south and that day, the locator was notified of a damaged gas north sides of the hole. The blue dashed line indicates the location main at the same site. He returned and snapped this where the stretched string laid. It was determined that the edge of the photograph, showing the yellow marks he placed on gas main was 29” from the marking, or “outside the tolerance zone.” the pavement in relationship to the location of the gas main damage. 29” from the marking, or “outside N The marks are located within 24” from the outside the tolerance zone.” diameter of the 4” plastic gas main. 14 The total width of the tolerance zone is 52”, or 26” either side (Are there two different But again, wait. Since the water department of the center of the yellow paint mark. The “mark” definitions of "tolerance extended the hole for the repair, the zone" in the story?) and “damage” standpipes are positioned on the south inspector’s string only connected to an side of the hole. existing mark on the north side of the hole, not the mark on the north side visible at the time of the hit. Fair enough, the In the next photo, the position of the standpipes inspector reasoned. would be between the backhoe's bucket in the hole Using a photo of the scene before digging and the backhoe. The white pavement markings wiped out the near north yellow mark, show the actual position of the tracer wire for the a graphic representing a “virtual” string 4” plastic main. Notice the white markings and the was placed atop the photo. This graphic yellow markings start to separate as they extend indicated that the difference between the N northward. actual string measurement and the virtual string measurement was the width of the ... confirm a mark yellow marking. A measurement showed that the width of “inside the tolerance zone.” a yellow marking on this locate was 2", as seen the photo to the left. The inspector Later in the day, an inspector from the state’s reasoned that the distance between regulatory agency took this photograph at the where the virtual string would lie on the standpipe location. The water department’s work unbroken pavement would be 2" less than to repair the leaking water main has degraded the previously determined. N yellow pavement mark. On the right side of the photo, the tracer wire and the gas main can be seen Final result: 29”− 2” = 27”. along with the ruler on the pavement, which seems The gas line is 1” outside the to confirm a mark “inside the tolerance zone.” tolerance zone.

68 69 Oops..... BEFORE If there’s an underground damage, most utilities attempt to recover The answers to the their costs associated with repairing six questions in the the damage as well as the cost of list below generally lost service or product. For simple dictate the outcome damages, recovery targets are usually of damage recovery: excavators and contract locators. Property damaged as a result of 1. Was the underground utility underground damage brings more marked properly? parties to the damage recovery table, 2. Had the marks been including the utility itself. maintained? 3. Had the contractor used Many one-call locators are required appropriate measures to find to photograph the job site and their AFTER the marked utility line? markings. 11 Considering these 4. Did the utility owner respond photos were taken less than a week in a manner required by law? apart, it’s no wonder why locators 5. Had the contractor used his spend more time taking photos than boring equipment properly? using their locating instrument. Photos serve as an insusrance policy 6. And, perhaps most importantly for subsequent in case there's a damage. 13 litigation, was an appropriate, Even emergency agencies attempt comprehensive and expert to recover costs for their time and analysis performed in order to equipment as a result of responding answer these questions? to damages. - Questions courtesy of Robert Duchemin UtilityResolutions, Bremerton, WA

70 71 This is an as-built—it’s a sketch of the location of a damaged gas main and the position of the yellow paint markings closest to the location of the main damage. Drawn by the excavator, this sketch depicts the path of excavation (Proposed 8” DIP location) So you’re responsible for creating an as-built of a and the relationship between the pipe’s actual loca- newly installed utility line before it is backfilled. Are tion and the yellow paint markings (2” Gas). The you holding a tape measure or survey grade GPS sketch clearly indicates the intersection of excava- instrument? If you are a construction inspector tion and of the gas pipe. All of the measurements working for a utility, odds are you are armed with a are based on a single exposed pipe location and the tape measure. positions of the visible yellow paint markings. Before we start pulling tape, let’s etch the definition The regulatory agency investigating the damage of an as-built drawing in wet cement: cited the gas company for failure to accurately mark their gas main. Many pipelines and other utilities take great care As-built record – a detailed in how measurements from their lines are taken representation of the utility infrastructure as constructed in and recorded during construction or maintenance the field, showing an accurate activities. 8 Contractual obligations and standards relationship to a defined reference may dictate the quality level to which the as-built is system such that its location can to be preformed and the method for obtaining the be re-established at a later date. measurements. —Canadian Standards Association: CSA S250, Mapping of Underground Utility Infrastructure

As-built drawings may be created at the end of a utility construction or maintenance project, or at specific phases in a large project. The information found on an as-built can be used for various purposes, such as planning for future improvements, quality-control, and tracking a contractor’s progress as it pertains to a contract. Measurements contained in as-built drawings are transferred to utility system maps where they provide invaluable assistance to locators running one-call tickets in congested, urban environments. “Precision isn’t accuracy. You can be precisely inaccurate.”

Most location information for as-built records There’s a saying in the survey trade: “Precision isn’t accuracy. You can be precisely inaccurate.” It’s not the use consists of single measurements taken from road of sophisticated instruments that guarantees accurate location information, but rather a strident consistency centerlines, street lines, curbs and other tangible in the process of gathering information. A penned line made without a straightedge that records the rough objects such as building walls, light poles, utility location of the utility can be acceptable in certain circumstances, provided the accuracy of the information is poles, or fire hydrants. When coupled with precise made clear on the as-built. coordinates for road centerlines, street lines, and curbs, an as-built can be an extremely accurate Fact is though, that much of the existing measurement information in utility records only meet the standard document used for determining underground utility of Quality Level D. That’s why we must use locating instruments in concert with: maps and records, visual location. observation, and excavation, to find the location of underground utilities. 72 73 First we took a cyclone. Forward Then we mounted it on a trailer.

Sometime in the future: 3:00 AM. Google doesn’t get all of its information from And the rest is history. sponsoring these summer and nightly data-gathering A detection device scans the street in front of your voyages though. It’s been buying high pedigree home collecting images of what’s beneath the street. underground utility location data from multiple As the sun comes up, the device heads home, idle sources for decades. It’s estimated that Google now until the next night. Once home, the data collected by has identified over 85% of the live and abandoned the device uploads to Palo Alto, California, where it below-ground utility infrastructure in North America. joins several quintillion bits of similar information. The U. S. Department of Transportation, estimates The street scanning device combines electromagnetic, that just three more years are needed to clean up the ground penetrating radar and seismic detection backlog of unmapped utility lines. After that, federal capabilities. It geographically tags every millimeter of law mandates that pipelines, utilities, municipalities scanned street surface. For image gathering beyond and others supply the agency with location informa- the streets, the company hires school teachers on tion related to new or newly-retired utility lines. summer break to strap-on portable, 32-lb backpack versions of the device and walk assigned routes. All this happens sometime in the future. 9

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