Pipeline Safety and Incident Experience


facilities and utilities joined together in creating notification centers that can be used by anyone preparing to conduct work close to the pipeline. Known as One-Call Centers, they serve as a clearinghouse for excavation activities that are planned close to pipelines and other underground utilities. They are an essential tool and the first line of defense in protecting 911 emergency tele- phone service, fiber optics, underground power lines, water and sewer lines and pipelines, and maintaining their service and operability.


Under the One-Call System, a call center is set up so that anyone who will


be digging or excavating can make one telephone call to give notice of their plans to dig in a specific area 48 to 72 hours prior to any excavation activity. Users of the One-Call System include commercial contractors, road mainte- nance crews, telephone pole installers, fence builders, landscape companies, and even homeowners.


Once a notification is received, the center then acts as a clearinghouse to


inform the owners and operators of underground facilities in the area identi- fied in the work plan so that they can go out and mark their facilities. Marking options include spray painting on the surface directly above the lines or pip- ing, and placing flags that identify the type of underground service.


The person conducting the excavation project must wait a specified time


during which the marking of the facilities is accomplished before beginning work. All parties must cooperate so that the project can be completed as planned, and that the underground facilities are marked and protected during the excavation work. Underground facilities are usually marked with above- ground American Public Works Association (APWA) color coded markings, as outlined below:


Electric Gas/oil


Red Yellow


Communications/cable TV Orange Water


Blue


Reclaimed Water Sewer


Proposed excavation Reclaimed Water


Purple Green White Blue


One-call systems are organized and operated at the state level and are gen-


erally governed by state law, although they are normally not supported by tax dollars. One-call centers are funded by the underground facilities in that state, usually on a per call basis.


Some people mistakenly believe that the precise location of a pipeline can


be determined by simply drawing a straight line between right-of-way marker signs. This is a myth for two main reasons:


1. Rights-of-way markers along a pipeline route or at a grade crossing only show the approximate location of a pipeline, as the right-of-way is much


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