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Utilities Business Review | Thursday, February 17, 2022
Subsurface Utility Engineering is an engineering practice that allows more accurate locating of buried utilities within a project area.
FREMONT, CA: Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) involves underground mapping utilities, including pipelines and cable lines. In addition, SUE gathers information on the current condition of existing subsurface utilities and determines when and how to relocate them. SUE is accomplished through geophysics, civil engineering, and surveying.
The SUE can reduce the need for unnecessary utility relocations and the likelihood that new construction projects will damage existing utilities.
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If the precise location of a subsurface utility is mapped, new projects can alter their routes to avoid the existing subsurface infrastructure.
SUE utilizes numerous instruments. When accurate maps are unavailable, or a high level of certainty is required, three-dimensional underground imaging radar is frequently used to determine the location of existing subsurface utilities. SUE employs many excavation techniques to locate utilities physically. Vacuum excavation is a type of earth removal frequently used to locate buried utilities.
What qualities should an SUE company have?
Employing an SUE service provider entails a substantial risk transfer. Therefore, choosing an organization with the appropriate qualifications and experience is essential. Look for a service provider with highly skilled Subsurface Technicians, a competent CAD department, and the capacity to provide seamless project coordination.
The proper credentials: The Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario requires SUE service providers to hold a Certificate of Authorization (PEO). As SUE involves geophysical activities, it is recommended, but not required, that the service provider possesses a Certificate of Authorization from the Ontario Association of Professional Geoscientists (APGO). A Professional Engineer must approve, sign, and seal SUE deliverables. In contrast, a Professional Geoscientist oversees the SUE scope's geophysical activities, such as the application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and subsequent analysis of GPR data.
Relevant experience: Providers of SUE services should have experience locating all required utility types within the affected area and verifiable experience completing projects of comparable size and scope. Electromagnetic Induction, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), sensing, surveying, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), etc. Consider looking for several certificates, including Damage Prevention Technician (DPT) certification, First Aid certification, WHMIS certification, Confined Space Entry certification, Confined Space Rescue certification, and Working at Heights certification.
Expertise in Ground Penetrating Radar and associated technologies: Where non-conductive utilities and features, such as plastic, fiber optic, cable TV lines, water, and concrete sewer lines, foundations, ducts, and chambers are suspected to exist within the project area, expertise in the application of Ground Penetrating Radar is essential. GPR data can yield a cross-section of subsurface utilities and be displayed in three dimensions, providing information on the depth of utilities.
The ability to innovate when faced with obstacles: As the size and scope of SUE projects vary greatly, unique and unexpected obstacles can arise. Numerous variables, including broken tracer wires, soil conductivity, and the presence of water, can hinder the ability to collect data. It is essential to partner with a service provider who has encountered these obstacles in the past and can innovate to overcome them.
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