FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GPR scanning is exceptionally effective at locating all types of subsurface materials. There are times when PVC pipes do not provide an adequate signal to ground penetrating radar equipment and can’t be properly located by traditional methods. However, GPRS Project Managers are expertly trained at multiple methods of utility locating.

Yes, our professional Project Managers can respond rapidly to emergency same-day private utility locating service calls on your job site.

When you break ground on a new project before doing a private utility locate, you’re playing Russian Roulette. You may be lucky the first time, but what about the next time?

According to a report published by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the direct and indirect costs of damage caused by strikes totaled around $40 billion in 2021 alone, with the privately funded Infrastructure Protection Coalition putting the figure closer to $61 billion.

Over 60% of all buried utility lines are private, meaning they’re owned by individuals or businesses. If you don’t hire a private underground utility locator to identify these lines in your project area prior to digging, you run the risk of knocking out power to an entire neighborhood, creating a water emergency for a municipality, or causing serious injury or death with a gas line explosion or electrical line strike.

We are able to use GPR to cross-check the measured depth and location of a located utility with existing as-built plans in order to verify the accuracy of plans.

In most situations, we can identify the utility in question without any problems, although it is not always possible to determine what type of utility is present. When this happens, we attempt to trace the utility to a valve, meter, control box, or other signifying markers to determine the type of utility buried.

No, GPRS will locate and mark all utilities for you. We have a variety of tools and markers we can use to highlight the locations of utilities, underground storage tanks and whatever else may be hiding.

Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.

GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.