News

Newsline, Volume 1, Issue 1

On September 1, 2009 New Mexico One Call (NMOC) began adding the centroid GPS (latitude and longitude) of the dig site on the actual ticket sent to the facility owners. The centroid makes it possible for ticket management systems to accurately route tickets to specific locators and helps the locator to find the general dig site. This item had been requested by member companies at the round table discussions held at NMOC’s annual meeting. The NMOC board listened to its members and agreed to pursue getting something done. The addition of the centroid GPS fulfills that commitment to its members. The centroid was added at no additional cost to the membership.

NMOC is in the process of publishing the revised “Excavator’s Handbook” in both English and Spanish text. One side will be in Spanish and the other side in English. NMOC has received many requests from different areas within New Mexico for the Spanish version and it will now be available with the revised edition. The handbooks are scheduled to be published in early December and will be available by the beginning of 2010. The handbooks will be available on the NMOC web site www.nmonecall.org.

NMOC has arranged for several of the one-call operators to actually go out on field locates. ConocoPhillips in Farmington, NM, has agreed to take several operators out on actual locating assignments. The experience was designed to help the one-call operators see what it actually takes to find the dig site given the driving directions they put on a ticket, the art/science of locating various pipelines, and why certain information on the tickets is useful to the spotters in performing their work.
The one-call operators will be required to attend a safety orientation and wear the proper protective clothing. The experience should help operators appreciate the difficulties spotters have in performing their jobs, and how important accurate and concise information is to a spotter.

The New Mexico Regional Common Ground Alliance (NMRCGA) has voted to form three committees to study and make recommendations regarding certain industry issues. These committees will be looking for input from all stakeholders and welcome anyone who wishes to participate to do so. Information on the committees can be obtained by calling Gwen at (505) 254-7315. The three committees are:

• Mandatory White Lining – While white lining is not currently mandatory in the excavation law, it is, however, an expected practice and is part of CGA’s best practices. White lining is a very good tool for communicating to the spotters exactly where the excavator intends to dig. Most sites would benefit from white lining, but many projects involving larger areas and work more complicated than the standard ten days may require additional consideration.
• Spotting homeowner service lines – While the excavation law currently requires that facility owners only spot the facilities they own, many believe that service lines should be included. Several states have or are taking action to have facility owners spot service lines regardless of ownership. The issue of facility owners deriving revenue from the service lines has been one of the reasons for requiring these lines to be spotted. Currently, CGA has undertaken review of this issue and is considering making it a best practice.
• All new installations of UG systems must be traceable – Many facility owners are still installing new systems without the ability to trace their location. Economics and aged specifications are to blame. However, the problem of locating underground facilities that are not traceable becomes a nightmare and a huge expense for future generations. What must be done to change the current practice and how will it be accomplished?