April is almost here, and you know what that means – National Safe Digging Month is upon us!
The month-long event is the brainchild of Common Ground Alliance and encourages homeowners and contractors to call 811 before digging. The goal is to prevent people from accidentally digging through underground utilities and other buried assets.
Surprisingly, many people still don’t call 811 before putting a shovel in the ground. Fewer than half of Americans think they need to call 811 before digging, according to Common Ground Alliance.
So, why are so many people refusing to call 811 before starting their projects? It turns out the homeowner or contractor is only doing some “shallow digging.”
While there isn’t a specific depth that qualifies as a “shallow digging” project, plenty of examples exist.
Shallow digging projects generally involve digging a foot or two into the soil. Prime examples of this are home improvement projects like planting shrubs or digging pole holes. They’re often quick jobs that occur in one day. More involved projects that could qualify as “shallow digging” include digging trenches or installing underground lighting.
However, the problem doesn’t always relate to how deep a homeowner or contractor digs but to where they dig.
People forget that underneath our feet is a mishmash of water, electrical, gas, telecom, and other lines. Worse yet, underground assets may be shallower than you think, depending on location, utility, soil makeup, and more. Certain lines might be only a few inches to a foot below the surface, making them an easy target for an errant gardener.
Unfortunately, one strike of the shovel or nick with a pickaxe could lead to outages, leaks, and even injury or death.
The short answer to this question is “it depends.”
Many factors determine utility depth, including the environment, soil composition, utility type, and local codes.
For example, water lines in upstate New York are buried several feet underground. This is because you must install them below the frost line, the depth where groundwater in the soil is likely to freeze. In Rome, NY, where Kris-Tech is headquartered, our local ordinances are as follows:
“Water service pipes must be laid at least six feet below the surface of the ground. If the water main is less than six feet from the surface, the service pipe must be laid in such a manner as to reach this depth in the least possible distance without too great a kink in the pipe.”
Depending on the location and environment, frost lines fluctuate, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Soil makeup is another critical factor determining how deep lines and pipes are buried.
In the previous example using the frost line, soil composition directly affects how deep the ground will freeze. It also dictates how quickly soil will drain and its stability.
If the soil drains quickly and is rocky, utility crews may bury lines and pipes closer to the surface. Sandy or soft soils, which are less ideal, call for a deeper burial. Burying the lines deeper underground helps stabilize the lines, preventing damage caused by shifting or settling.
What might work in upstate New York might not have the same result as Southern California.
Every jurisdiction is different and has its own unique set of circumstances to contend with. This allows certain areas and regions to focus their code regulations on issues they specifically deal with. There are rules to mitigate damage, whether it’s hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, severe winter weather, or tornadoes.
Utilities may also step in to determine how deep their lines go. Though they must account for local ordinances, they can choose to be prudent with their lines. By burying lines deeper than the minimum, they can provide added protection from certain dangers.
The best thing a homeowner or contractor can do to avoid hitting an underground utility is to call 811 before digging.
According to Common Ground Alliance, not calling 811 was the top reason for utility damage in 2023, making up 26% of reports. Additionally, of all the reported incidents with damage in 2023, nearly half (47%) were telecom. Natural gas lines were a close second, with 40%.
You never know what lurks only a few inches underneath your feet, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Hitting buried lines or pipes can cause immediate problems, ranging from lost services and delays to injury or death.
Calling 811 is as easy as dialing the number or filling out an online form.
When a homeowner or contractor makes a request, they must know the project address, scope, and where the work will take place. It also helps to mark the area with white paint or flag markers to show where the work will occur. Once you fill out the form, utility companies will come by to mark the approximate location of their assets. It usually takes a couple of days for everyone to make their marks.
NOTE: Don’t start work until you know all the utilities have marked their utilities. Be sure to build in a couple of business days to allow for advance notice and response times.
When the utilities visit the property to mark their lines, they’ll use one of several methods. Crews can use induction locating using tracer wires to track underground assets, ground penetrating radar (GPR), or electromagnetic locating.
Utilities have several tools to find underground lines, including non-metal pipes. However, the best method depends on signal strength, whether direct contact is possible, and whether other lines are nearby.
Once workers find the assets, they use flags or colored paint to mark where they run on the property. The colors used to mark the lawn, sidewalk, and other areas relate to each utility. For example, blue is water, red is electrical, yellow is gas, and so on.
You can dig once all utilities mark the area or confirm nothing is buried there. With that said, avoid digging in marked areas. If you must disturb a marked spot, use hand tools to limit risk as much as possible.
But the rule of thumb for most underground lines is to avoid digging within two feet of ANY markings. Tracing isn’t a perfect science – sometimes lines can shift, or blueprints can be wrong. Experts also suggest that any digging occurs parallel to buried assets to avoid as much risk as possible.
If you know you or a work crew is planning to dig or excavate, contact 811 first. The process only takes a few minutes and could save you thousands of dollars in damages or doctor’s bills.
Property markings help crews avoid mistakes and approach potential dangers more safely, leading to better outcomes. It may take several days, but not waiting could lead to lost services, damaged lines, injuries, or death.
Don’t become another service disruption statistic. We can do our part to protect underground utility lines, ourselves, and our neighbors.
