Empire Locating Services L.L.C private utility locating on the Western Slop
Private Underground Utility Locator in Colorado
As you may or may not know it is state law that contractors and excavators or anyone performing any type of excavation must notify 811 dig safe to give all utilities an opportunity to mark their underground locations. Utility companies who respond to locate requests, via the state “call before you dig” One-Call system, will only locate and mark facilities that they own. They will not mark those that are privately owned. In most cases there are private utilities present on private property and possibly in utility right-of-ways, streets and sidewalks that may not be covered by your one call request. It is usually the contractor's responsibility after notifying 811 of excavation to hire an outside company to identify more private underground utilities in the area.
Private Utility Locating
The one-call system (811) is responsible for marking all publicly owned utilities but will not typically mark depths and will not mark any privately owned utilities. There will be at least some private utilities on almost any construction project or could even include all of the utilities on the entire site. Therefore, to receive a comprehensive locate, a private utility locating firm must be utilized to ensure that all buried utilities are located. The private locating process protects all site employees from potential line strike damages.
Facility Utility Locating & Mapping
Accurate, up to date as-built drawings and facility maps are a key to success for any construction project. The planning phase of a project relies heavily on the accuracy of the information obtained in the existing facility maps, which details the site’s underground infrastructure. With our facility mapping and modeling services we can update existing or create new as-built drawings that portray actual site conditions – including any variations, renovations, or unknown pipes.
Utility Pothole/ Daylighting
This excavation process, which is sometimes called ‘daylighting,’ includes making a series of small test holes in order to accurately locate underground lines. Potholing utilizes vacuum excavation equipment to verify the location of subsurface lines or other obstructions in or around an expected bore path.Potholing can tell workers a lot about buried utility lines, including:
- Horizontal position,
- Depth,
- Type of line, and
- If there are any signs of damage to it.
These days, more work crews are regularly using potholing to avoid hitting water, electrical, gas, telecommunications, and fiber optic lines and help keep projects within budget and on schedule. It is also an effective technique for applications requiring boring holes, such as:
- Installing signage,
- Placing telephone or utility poles, and
- Posting fences. hydrovac private locates