Page 9 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Before you dig, dig this.
Pipeline safety starts from the ground up.
Always call 811 before you dig. It’s the law.
Get more pipeline safety information at xtoenergy.com.
Know what’s below. Call before you dig.
Quality Level A is commonly known as “daylighting” or “potholing,” and usually involves exposing the underground facility with safer digging techniques like vacuum excavation. The locator gets a precise visual location of the utility including type, size, depth, material, as well as the lateral location. But potholing can be costly and time consuming,
as the utility must be exposed every so many feet in order to maintain accuracy.
While that standard is critical for a project that requires digging in a crowded right of way, it might be overkill for a project where the excavation will take place hundreds of feet away from known utilities. That’s where selective SUE comes in handy.
In contrast, the second lowest standard is Level C, where surveying above ground facilities in the field, like manhole covers or fire hydrants, in conjunction with existing utility records, provides general information about the location of utilities—but where the precise depth and horizontal location are not necessary.
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There are times when all four levels play an important part in providing the most accurate information at the lowest cost.
When the final project maps are assembled, each utility shown has a note, indicating which level of accuracy was used to identify its location.
So, regardless of what quality level was used in the planning stage, excavators are aware of how accurate the utility information is.
Most importantly, even though an excavator is presented with very detailed plans, every job requires a ticket to be submitted to the 811 call center at least 48 hours prior to digging. There’s no telling what may have changed between the design phase and excavation. It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.
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2021, Issue 1
Louisiana 811 • 7