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Underground Line Locates

  • Service available to: Faculty, Staff, Students, Researchers
  • Themes: Environment, Equipment, Infrastructure, Safety
  • Service Category: Physical Infrastructure
  • Service Areas: Heating and Cooling, Electricity, Natural Gas, Water and Sewage, Irrigation, Signage and Wayfinding, Roads, Walkways, and Loading Docks, Horticulture and Arboriculture, Fencing, Pest Management

Description of Service

The university receives and delivers a variety of utility services (e.g. electricity, gas, water and sewage, heating and cooling, communications etc.) across the university’s lands. Utility lines may be very close to the surface. For personal safety, and for the protection of buried utilities, individuals should NEVER dig, trench, bore, drive or park vehicles or heavy equipment, or even insert a pole, peg, or post without coordination with Facilities.

The Underground Locate Request Form, and ’Cleared to work’ notification, is required when anyone might excavate or penetrate the surface to ANY depth on the University of Saskatchewan campus.


Access

The Underground Locate Request Form must be processed and a ‘Cleared to work’ notification must be received before any dig, excavation, or otherwise disturbing the ground and penetrating the surface to ANY depth on the university’s campus. Locate requests normally require five full working days notice. Questions can be directed to Facilities Support Services at 966-4496 or facilities.support@usask.ca.

If an emergency or unplanned excavation is required and University representatives are unavailable (nights/weekends/stat holidays), the service requestor shall make locate arrangements as required to prevent inadvertent contact with buried utilities. Daylighting or hydrovacing methods would apply. Review the Underground Utility Locate Policy and Procedures for more information.


Availability of Support

Core Hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday
After Hours: N/A


Service Standards


Service Exclusions, Limitations, and Restrictions

  • NO EXCAVATION/SURFACE PENETRATION to ANY depth IS PERMITTED on campus, including tent set-up, until the Underground Locate Request has been processed and a “cleared to work” notification. It is the responsibility of any party intending to excavate, trench, bore, drive or park vehicles or heavy equipment or otherwise penetrating the grade with any product including, but not limited to a temporary or permanent fence post, tent support, peg, or other penetrating object to receive approval to proceed from the university, all Sask 1st Call subscribers, and other companies who may have underground facilities in the designated work area.
  • Approval is ONLY valid in the work area outlined on the request form. Approval to proceed is limited to disturbance only of the areas/locations specifically stated and/or shown on the accompanying site services drawings. The on-site excavation equipment operator must be trained and certified to perform their duties safely.
  • A new Underground Locate Request will be required if the excavation boundaries need to be changed or altered.
  • Markings are valid for 10 days from the date of approval from the University. If work fails to be completed within the 10 days of the original approval, contact Facilities Support Services at 306-966-4496 or email facilities.support@usask.ca to inquire if a locate refresh is required.
  • Activities related to the Underground Line Locate request may require a development permit.

Service Charges

  • There are no charges associated with having an underground line locate completed.

Additional Resources


Related Terms

Dig, Excavated, Fence post, Line locates, Sask 1st Call, Tent peg, Tent post, Tent set-up, Utility locates