Page 3 - Alabama 811 Magazine 2017 Issue 2

from the desk of
... ..i..tu..i.. Oulhduiynln «Iv
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
xcavation activity continues to be on the rise in Alabama.
Atter experiencing a 22% increase in locate requests in 2016,
we are seeing an additional 20% increase tor the iirst fuur
months tit 2017. over the last year, Alabama 811 has processerl
I s over 6,300 locate requests that were listecl as using some tonn of
W} '0 i directional drilling during the excavation process Each year there are
3; v _. 3 more or these types of proyects getting underway tor buried utilities
1, I and other intrastructiire prulucts. According to the common Ground
Alliance (CGA) 2015 Damage lnionnation Reporting Tool (DIRT)

J report, approximately ltyra oi all damages reported were related to
drilling operations and of that ltm, 5112, was relaterl to boring activities
and 16% rlirectly relatecl to directional drilling

Many utilities are being installed using rlirectional drilling practices
- due to this technique being less dismptive in urban areas where
. ,°‘ts there are many other tacilities and where it can save money, lessen the
-- environmental impact and hopetully have less impact on the general
public However, even with these benei-its, there is always the increased
‘ “ concern about ~af2Iy when drilling around existing tacilitics
ln this edmon of the Alabama 811 magazine, we will focus on directional
drilling excavation practices and pmvicle intormation we hope you will
find helptul in understancling what directional drilling is, why it is userl

and what extra damage prevention ~af2ty precautions need to be taken into consideration.

Any excavation activity, trom the use of a simple shovel to specializecl equipment such

as directional rlrilling iigs, can potentially damage an undergrounrl iacility. Eelng aware,
erlucated ancl cautious is always a good standard to live by.

As always, we thank you for your suppon ot Alabama 811 Magazine and look forward to
continuing to assist with damage prevention and public satety education to help keep Alabama
a sate place to live and work.

Armcne Rebum
t wratirv Dtrrtlur
/llrlbiulm S11
2017, Issue? Alabama 511 . 1