Protecting Nassau County’s Hidden Infrastructure: Why Utility Locating is Critical Before Directional Drilling
Nassau County’s underground landscape is a complex maze of critical infrastructure that supports over 1.3 million residents. From water mains and sewer lines to gas pipelines, electrical cables, and telecommunications networks, this intricate web of utilities lies hidden beneath our streets, sidewalks, and properties. The organization plays an indispensable role as a communications link between utility companies and individuals who plan to dig in the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. By relaying the requests, New York 811 helps safeguard one of the most extensive, complicated, and congested underground infrastructures in the nation. When planning any directional drilling project, understanding and protecting this existing infrastructure becomes paramount to project success and public safety.
The Critical Importance of Utility Locating
Before any directional drilling project begins, comprehensive utility locating must take place to identify and map all existing underground infrastructure. The repair cost for an unintended intersection of underground infrastructure can cost over $150,000. When all underground utility lines are accurately located, marked, and mapped, directional drillers have the information they need to effectively complete their job without the risk of damage to the current underground infrastructure. This process involves both public utility marking through 811 services and private utility locating services for facilities not covered by standard dig requirements.
While calling 811 before you dig is required by law and is the first step needed to get all public utilities located prior to breaking ground when directional drilling occurs, sewers are often unmarked and excluded from most 811 dig requirements leaving the job to map out sewer lines and other private facilities on site up to a private utility locator such as GPRS. This dual-layered approach ensures comprehensive coverage of all underground assets.
Understanding Cross Bores and Their Consequences
One of the most significant risks in directional drilling is the creation of cross bores – unintentional intersections between new utility installations and existing underground infrastructure. One of the significant risks associated with HDD is the potential for cross bores, where the new utility line intersects with existing underground utilities, such as gas or sewer lines. Cross bores can cause dangerous gas leaks or damage to existing infrastructure. These dangerous intersections can remain undetected for years, creating “ticking time bombs” that pose serious safety risks to communities.
The result of ineffective locates before directional bore projects take place has resulted in some of the most significant utility line damages annually in the United States. According to the Common Ground Alliance’s 2021 Dirt Report, Boring/Directional Drilling was the 3rd third most prominent cause of underground utility strikes nationally. This statistic underscores the critical need for thorough pre-drilling investigations.
Advanced Technology for Accurate Detection
Modern utility locating employs sophisticated technology to ensure accurate detection and mapping of underground infrastructure. GPRS Project Managers utilize ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) locators to identify, mark, and map existing utilities, including gas, water, electricity, telecommunications lines, and sewer laterals before a directional drilling project begins. By identifying and verifying the location and depth of buried infrastructure, GPRS minimizes the risk of accidental damage, costly repairs, safety hazards, and project delays.
Professional utility locating services achieve remarkable accuracy rates. GPRS has achieved and maintained a better than 99.8% accuracy rating on utility locates due to our commitment to the Subsurface Investigation Methodology, or SIM. This level of precision is essential when working in Nassau County’s dense underground environment.
Best Practices for Pre-Drilling Preparation
Effective utility locating before directional drilling requires a systematic approach. Contact the local utility location service to mark lines and provide information about the location of existing utility installations. Even after receiving this information, it is important to compare drawings to these surface markings to ensure all lines—even those missing from utility maps—are on the project’s radar. Carefully review drawings and reach out to utility companies to confirm the location of underground utilities.
Beyond initial marking, thorough site preparation includes visual inspections and verification methods. Require that the HDD machine operator and the tracker perform a site walk along the projected drill path during the project’s planning and site preparation phase. It is important to check for structures, such as gas meters and manhole covers, that could indicate an existing underground utility line, obstruction, or other sources of interference to the drill or tracking device readings.
Long Island Sewer and Water Main: Your Trusted Partner
For property owners in Nassau County seeking reliable directional drilling services, Directional Drilling Nassau County, NY specialists at Long Island Sewer and Water Main understand the critical importance of proper utility locating. At Long Island Sewer and Water Main, we take pride in our reputation as a leading directional drilling company in Nassau Shores, NY. Our team is dedicated to delivering top-quality results for water and sewer projects in Nassau County.
Whether you need to schedule a routine appointment or you have an emergency on your hands, if you’re in need of cesspool pumping services, contact the company Nassau and Suffolk County property owners trust most: Long Island Sewer and Water Main. Our locally owned and operated, fully licensed and insured company has been providing Long Islanders with top-quality sewer and water main services for nearly 40 years. This extensive experience translates into comprehensive understanding of Nassau County’s unique underground infrastructure challenges.
The Value of Professional Expertise
Our state-of-the-art equipment ensures precision and efficiency in trenchless pipe installation, minimizing disruptions in Nassau County. Our directional drilling equipment allows for pinpoint accuracy when installing water and sewer lines in Nassau County. Whether navigating around obstacles or avoiding environmentally sensitive areas, our team can ensure that the project is executed with precision, reducing the risk of costly mistakes.
The company’s commitment to quality extends beyond just drilling services. Located in Lynbrook, NY, at Long Island Sewer and Water Main, we focus on bringing quality sewer cleaning to our local community. Our team knows how important it is to have a plumbing system you can count on, so we use trusted methods and effective tools to tackle everything from routine maintenance to thorough sewer cleanings. We’re proud to serve all of Nassau County, with a commitment to quality that our clients value.
Protecting Your Investment and Community
Proper utility locating before directional drilling isn’t just about avoiding immediate damage – it’s about protecting long-term infrastructure investments and community safety. In 2021, the use of directional drilling to install new utility lines resulted in 19,521 reported underground utility strikes which was the third most prominent statistic for utility damage from the Common Ground Alliance’s 2021 DIRT Report. These damages, when taking into consideration the $56,000 cost of damaging and repairing an individual utility line, resulted in over $1 billion in damage in 2021 alone. By requiring pre and post cross bore inspections any time new utilities are installed, they can protect their citizens, infrastructure, and bottom line by spending a few thousand dollars for inspection and mitigation costs versus hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for damage and repair costs.
For Nassau County residents and businesses planning directional drilling projects, partnering with experienced professionals who prioritize comprehensive utility locating is essential. The investment in proper pre-drilling investigations pays dividends in project success, safety, and long-term infrastructure protection. Contact Long Island Sewer and Water Main at 800-479-5325 to ensure your next directional drilling project is completed safely and successfully.