Utility Locating

Utility Locating Services in Queensland

Utility locating identifies, traces and maps underground services so their position can be understood before excavation, construction, maintenance or other works.

CSA Specialised Services provides utility locating and mapping services in Queensland for underground pipes, gas lines, sewer assets, stormwater drains, telecommunications and electrical infrastructure.

Accurate information about buried infrastructure can support project planning and help reduce uncertainty before ground is disturbed. Utility locating can also support design, maintenance, repair work and surveys after construction.

Common requirements supported by our underground utility locating services include:

  • Underground utility locating and mapping
  • Pipe locating services
  • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
  • Utility surveying
  • Utility design and coordination
  • Asset management
  • Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)

How Utility Locating and Mapping Works

Utility locating is used to detect and trace underground infrastructure in the field. Utility mapping records the information gathered about those services so it can be used for planning, construction, surveying, maintenance and ongoing asset management.

The appropriate utility locating service depends on the project, site conditions and information required. Methods may include non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), supported by utility surveying and mapping of identified underground infrastructure.

Locating Underground Services

Locating underground services before excavation helps project teams understand where buried infrastructure is positioned before construction or digging begins.

This information can help reduce the risk of damaging existing assets, disrupting essential services or encountering unexpected underground infrastructure during works. It can also support planning where new infrastructure needs to be installed around existing services.

Underground Utilities That Can Be Located

CSA's underground utility locating capability covers a range of buried services and infrastructure, including:

  • Underground pipes
  • Water and gas lines
  • Sewer assets
  • Telecommunications infrastructure
  • Water and gas lines
  • Electrical infrastructure

The services that can be identified on a particular site depend on the characteristics of the buried infrastructure and the surrounding site conditions.

Pipe Locating Services

Pipe locating services can help identify and trace buried pipework before excavation, construction, maintenance or repair work begins.

This can include underground water infrastructure, sewer assets, stormwater systems and other buried pipes where the infrastructure and site conditions allow it to be detected.

Locating the pipe first provides project teams with better information about where the asset is positioned before work progresses around it.

Where an underground service needs to be physically exposed after locating, non-destructive digging can support controlled excavation around underground infrastructure.

Utility Locating and Mapping Methods

Different locating, mapping and surveying methods can be used depending on the infrastructure being investigated, the information required and the conditions of the site.

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR)

Ground Penetrating Radar, or GPR, uses electromagnetic waves to collect information about underground utilities and other subsurface features. Signals reflected from underground features are analysed to help determine their location and depth. Because GPR is non-invasive, it can be used to investigate buried infrastructure without excavation or other destructive methods. The effectiveness of GPR depends on factors including ground conditions, target depth and size, the material being investigated and the surrounding environment. Results therefore need to be considered in the context of the individual site.

UTILITY MAPPING

Utility mapping services record information about identified underground infrastructure so it can be used throughout a project. Mapping can show the location and type of buried assets such as water and gas lines, electrical and telecommunications infrastructure, sewer assets and stormwater systems. The information gathered through locating and mapping can support early planning, construction, maintenance, repair work and surveys after construction.

UTILITY SURVEYING

Utility surveying provides information about the location and identifiable features of underground utilities and related infrastructure. Survey findings can support construction, excavation and infrastructure planning, while also providing a record of the assets identified during the investigation. CSA can provide findings from utility investigations in a range of working file formats, and a comprehensive report can be prepared for the surveyed area depending on project requirements.

Infrastructure Planning and Asset Support

Information collected during utility locating and surveying can also support the planning, coordination and ongoing management of underground infrastructure.

UTILITY DESIGN

Utility design uses information about existing underground infrastructure to support planning for new works, maintenance and repair. Understanding the location of existing utilities can help project teams plan new infrastructure around known assets and identify where existing services may need to be considered during design.

UTILITY COORDINATION

Utility coordination supports projects where underground services need to be considered alongside installation, maintenance, repair or other infrastructure works. Coordinating these requirements can help project teams plan around existing utilities, reduce conflicts between services and limit avoidable redesigns during a project.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Accurate asset information can support the ongoing management and maintenance of underground infrastructure. CSA Engineers' asset management services can include the collection of utility asset inventory information. Field crews can gather details such as pipe sizes, invert measurements and other asset information required for infrastructure records and ongoing management.

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)

Subsurface Utility Engineering, or SUE, is a professional practice for the collection, interpretation and management of information about subsurface utilities and underground infrastructure.

CSA Engineers provides SUE as part of its broader utility locating and infrastructure capability. The information gathered can support planning around underground services and help reduce the risk of utility damage during construction.

CSA's utility locating and Subsurface Utility Engineering work is carried out in accordance with the applicable requirements of AS 5488.1:2022 and AS 5488.2:2022.

What Are The Benefits of Utility Mapping?

Underground locating services provide the information needed to create a clearer map of the infrastructure across a site.

For construction, infrastructure and maintenance projects, the benefits can include:

  • Reducing uncertainty around existing underground assets
  • Reducing unnecessary digging through non-invasive locating methods
  • Supporting the collection of as-built data
  • Helping reduce avoidable costs associated with utility-related issues
  • Helping minimise downtime and delays caused by unexpected underground infrastructure

By improving the information available before and during works, utility mapping can support better planning around existing buried services.

Utility Locating Services in Queensland

CSA supports Queensland projects that require underground infrastructure to be identified, traced, mapped or surveyed.

Project requirements can range from locating underground services before excavation through to pipe locating, utility mapping, surveying, design coordination and asset-information collection.

Utility locating and mapping can support different stages of a project, from early planning and design through to construction, maintenance and post-construction surveys.

Talk to Our Team About Utility Locating

Take a few minutes and send us your requirements
we will be back with a solution.

Planning excavation, construction, maintenance or infrastructure work around buried services? Tell us what work is being planned, what needs to be located and what information your project requires.

Our team can help determine the appropriate locating, mapping and survey requirements for the site. Get in touch to discuss your project requirements before work begins around underground infrastructure.

For utility locating enquiries, call 1300 394 055.

Underground utility locating services

Frequently Asked Questions

Utility locating is the process of detecting, tracing and mapping underground services so their location can be understood before excavation, construction or other works. It can include infrastructure such as gas, water, sewer, stormwater, telecommunications and electrical services.

Locating underground services before excavation can help reduce the risk of damaging buried infrastructure, disrupting essential services or causing project delays. It also gives project teams better information for planning work around existing underground assets.

Before You Dig Australia plans are an important starting point, but they generally provide indicative information about infrastructure recorded by participating asset owners rather than pinpointing its exact on-site position. Professional utility locating can provide a more site-specific investigation where buried services need to be identified before works proceed.

Ground penetrating radar, or GPR, sends radio waves into the ground and analyses the signals reflected by subsurface features. These reflections can help identify the position and depth of buried utilities without excavating the ground.

The effectiveness of GPR depends on factors such as ground conditions, the depth and size of the target, its material and the surrounding environment. GPR should not be treated as a guarantee that every underground service will be detected, and results may need to be considered alongside other site information or verification methods.

CSA Specialised Services' utility locating service is designed to detect, trace and map underground pipes, gas lines, sewer assets, stormwater drains, telecommunications and electrical infrastructure. What can be identified on a particular site will depend on the characteristics of the buried service and site conditions.

Utility locating is the process of detecting and tracing underground services in the field. Utility mapping records the information gathered about those services so it can be used for project planning, design, construction, surveying or ongoing asset management.

CSA Specialised Services can provide the findings of utility investigations as working files in different formats and can prepare a comprehensive report for the surveyed area. The appropriate outputs will depend on the requirements of the project.

No. Utility locating and mapping can also support early project planning and design, maintenance and repair work, as well as surveys after construction. The information can therefore be useful at different stages of an infrastructure or construction project.

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