How Do I Find Information About Underground Services on a Block of Land?

What Are Underground Services and Why Are They Important?

Underground services, also known as underground infrastructure, refers to all buried utilities, including cables, pipes, and equipment associated with water, sewerage, telecommunication, gas and electricity. Pipelines that transport petrochemicals, bridges, and foundations buried under the ground also fall under underground infrastructure. 

But imagine having pipes, cables, and other utility lines running above ground; on roads, pathways, and every other place - modern life would be disturbed significantly!

These underground assets are important as they supply homes, businesses, and public buildings with hot water, gas, and electricity and eliminate wastewater. Even though we can't see these services, they need to be detected before excavation so they can be safeguarded.  

How Do I Find Information About Underground Services on a Block of Land?

Before undertaking any construction project that will disturb the subsurface (earthworks, drilling, digging, and excavation), you need to locate underground services. Knowing what is below can help you prevent damage to utilities on your site which can lead to costly repairs, building delays, and interruptions. 

There are some websites that can help you access this information:

Before You Dig

The Before-You-Dig website provides the best access to plans and information provided directly by utility service asset owners. However, those planning to excavate first need to obtain copies of such plans, which should not be older than 30 days when work starts.

GWMWater

GWMWater is a government-owned statutory corporation founded in 2004 with the mandate to deliver, manage, operate, and safeguard water supply and sewage infrastructure. GWMWater provides a utility location service by appointment. Typically, this entails giving you a blueprint identifying the general location of any nearby assets.

Geoscope Locating

It's a site with a utility location specialist that uses electromagnetic location and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) tools to locate underground services so you can be assured of safety, accuracy, and reliability.

Ausgrid 

Ausgrid is Australia's largest electricity distributor on the east coast. They have a network that covers 22,275 square kilometres in Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Hunter Valley and is made up of substations, powerlines, underground cables, and power poles. After receiving a request, Ausgrid can give access to their underground utility plans within three days.

Alternatively, Just Use the canibuild App!

While all the sources mentioned above are competent and reliable, they can still be a hassle, as scheduling appointments and waiting for sign-offs and paperwork can be time-consuming. 

canibuild taps into hundreds of data points to instantly display what is underground and overhead of your proposed site.  Gain immediate information that can impact your project, allowing you to progress your sales and provide answers to your clients.  

The canibuild app is an AI engine that allows contractors, builders, engineers, architects, planners and others to generate site plans instantly, check site feasibility and site costs, and prepare quotes with just one click. Get started today - request a demo to see how this state-of-the-art technology revolutionises the way of building.