Underground Utility Locates Policy
Locating Authority
ISU Electric Distribution Department will locate all underground utilities owned and operated by the university in Story and Boone County. All non-ISU utilities must be located by the utility owner. ISU will contact Iowa One Call for university staff requested locates involving non-ISU utilities at university facilities.
For all ISU areas outside of Story or Boone County the local facility manager is responsible for contacting Iowa One Call and completing locates.
Requesting A Locate
To request a locate of University utilities in Story or Boone County, complete the Request for Locates form . Upon completing and submitting the form it will be forwarded to Electrical Distribution for processing. Verbal requests for locates will only be taken if the locate is required due to an emergency.
Locate requests received with less than 48 hours before scheduled start time may not be completed by the requested time.
Emergency requests should be directed to Tony Selch. The locator should only be contacted if the manager is unavailable. Emergency locates will generally be completed in less than two hours. Emergency requests outside of normal work hours should be directed to ISU Public Safety at 294-4428.
Underground Utility Locates
Locates will be made between the hours of 7:30 am to 3:30 PM except during University Holidays.
All affected utilities in the work area will be located. The markings extend approximately 20 feet outside of the indicated work area.
Abandoned utilities will not be located. Locate markings shall be accomplished by color-coding in accordance with the Uniform Color Code of the American Public Works Association as shown below. Locate markings should last five days on any non-permanent surface (i.e. grass) and ten days on any permanent surface (i.e. pavement).
| Utility | Flags | Bristle Line Marker | Ground Painting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric and Traffic signals | Red with white lettering | Red | Red Dots |
| Telephone and Data (Fiber optic cables) | Orange with white lettering | Orange | Orange Dots |
| Natural Gas | Yellow with black lettering | Yellow | Yellow Dots |
| Steam, Steam Tunnels, and Condensate | Yellow with blue lettering | Yellow | Yellow circle with Blue center |
| Domestic Water | Blue with white lettering | Blue | Blue Dots |
| Chilled Water | Blue with red lettering | Blue | Blue circle with red center |
| Sanitary Sewer | Green with black lettering | Green | Black circle with green center |
| Storm Sewer | Green with white lettering | Green | White circle with green center |
The accuracy of the locates or tolerance zone shall be eighteen (18) inches on either side of the underground utility outside edge as shown below. On single pipes less than six (6) inches in diameter or direct buried cables the tolerance zone shall be eighteen (18) inches on either side of the center line. Depth of buried lines vary and will not be marked.
Iowa One Call
The Iowa One Call center provides statewide coverage for notification to Utility Companies to complete locates of their utilities as requested. ISU is a member of Iowa One Call and contacts them for university staff requested locates. Contractors working at ISU are responsible for arranging locates of non-ISU utilities through Iowa One Call. The following utilities are known to have facilities on university property:
| Utility | Company | Ground Painting |
|---|---|---|
| Electric | City of Ames Electric | Red |
| Traffic Signals | City of Ames - Traffic | Red |
| Electric (Farms/Off campus) | Alliant/IES Utilities or Local REC | Red |
| Telephone | Qwest Communications or PAETEC | Orange |
| Iowa Communications Network | State of Iowa | Orange |
| Cable TV | Mediacom | Orange |
| Natural Gas | Alliant/IES Utilities | Yellow |
| Natural Gas | Northern Natural Gas Company | Yellow |
| Natural Gas | Aquila Natural Gas | Yellow |
| Water | City of Ames Water and Pollution Control | Blue |
| Sanitary/Storm | City of Ames Water and Pollution Control | Green |
Iowa One Call phone number is 1-800-292-8989 or 811, twenty-four hours a day.
When contacting Iowa One Call the contractor and/or subcontractors shall give the following project location information to the operator for every locate requested: Iowa State University, Project Name, closest street, intersection, or existing building, and/or other descriptions that define the work site.
Completion of Locates
When the locate is finished the locator will place a white flag marked "Locates Complete" and paint "OK" near the flag in white paint. The flag will be placed near the center of the locate area on small jobs. On larger jobs (over 1000 square feet) multiple flags will be placed. The Locator should not be contacted to verify locates are complete.
Maintaining Locate Information
The requesting party should maintain the locate marks by appropriate methods to minimize locate recall. If markings will be destroyed or otherwise altered during the excavation or work, the requesting party must establish suitable reference points which enable the excavator to locate the underground facilities at all times during the work. It shall be the responsibility of the requesting party to remove and dispose of the flags and bristle line markers upon completion of the work.
Contractors
The ISU locator will only locate ISU owned and operated utilities. All non-ISU utilities must be located by the utility owner. Contractors working on the ISU campus will be responsible for arranging locates through Iowa One Call for non-ISU utilities. Contractors shall be responsible for scheduling joint locating meetings as their project requires.
Protection of Existing Utilities
Excavation adjacent to underground utilities shall be done with care, and then only after determining the exact location of them. Hand digging shall be utilized to expose the affected utility to prevent rupture or breaking of the line. Extra caution shall be utilized when working around direct buried electric lines and gas mains. Where the excavation undermines an existing utility, an approved method of support shall be utilized.
Damages to Existing Utilities
Cost of repairing any damages to existing utilities within the tolerance zone or work performed without requesting locates shall be the responsibility of by the requester. Cost of repairing damages caused by missed locates (actual utility found outside the tolerance zone) shall be the responsibility of ISU - Utilities Department.
Billing-Internal to Facilities Planning and Management
Billing for locates requested will be handled as follows:
- Capital Projects - A work order will be issued to the UC shop by the project construction manager. Examples: Buildings, major remodeling, roads.
- Cost Center Work - A work order will be issued to the UC shop by the requester to cover the cost of all locates. Examples: snow fencing, plant material, signage post.
- Utility project work - Utility projects locates will be charged to standing work orders under the DL01 cost center. Examples: water main, sewer, sidewalk lighting cables.
- Work on non-ISU utilities - Locates will be charged to the DL01 cost center standing work order. Examples: a contractor working on the City of Ames water main or US West repairing cables.
The requester of the locate being billed shall provide a Capital Project number or Work Order number on the Request for Locates form .
Billing-External to Facilities Planning and Management
Requested locates by all other University Administrative, Service or Department Offices, Student Organizations, or other Campus Groups will require an account number be provided. The requester will be billed for services rendered.
www.fpm.iastate.edu/utilities/locate_procedure.asp