Page 18 - BCCGA Best Practices Version 3.0

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During the detailed design phase of a project, it is necessary to have precise
information on the locations of utility facilities in the area. This knowledge
ensures accuracy and minimizes the possibility of utility conflicts. A survey of
utility infrastructure and documenting the methods used can help to obtain the
required information.
CURRENT PRACTICE: To perform a survey of utility infrastructure requires
following some of the basic practices. The results will be more effective if
performing these steps in sequence. However, it may not be necessary to
complete all the steps depending on the level of information required. The
steps are as follows:
1) Use all available existing utility facility records to obtain information
about location of existing and proposed underground facilities in the
entire construction project area
2) Attend the job site to correlate the information already gathered about
existing utilities with above ground features
3) Use appropriate instruments to determine the approximate horizontal
locations of the underground facilities identified, and
4) Use test holes to determine the exact locations of existing underground
facilities (In this step, horizontal and vertical control measurements may
be taken. Test holes are used to positively locate and identify an
underground facility by exposing the facility by non-destructive means,
e.g., hydroexcavation.)
BENEFITS: Gathering underground facility information and incorporating it
into the planning and design phase can be beneficial. It minimizes the hazards,
cost, and work to produce the final project. Other benefits include the
enhancement of safety, elimination of unexpected facility conflicts, and
minimizing of facility relocations.
REFERENCE: The American Society of Civil Engineers has the standard
guidelines for the gathering and depicting of existing subsurface utility data.
1-5 SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING (SUE)
PRACTICE STATEMENT: The project owner should consider the use of
Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) techniques as a structured method of
gathering and depicting utility information for design purposes.
Best Practices Version 3.0