One of the main concerns of utilities is the safety of their product and the reliable delivery of that product to the customer. That is why IAMU has been involved with Common Ground Iowa (CGI) since its inception in 2007. Recently, CGI began reaching out to the ag community to raise awareness about damage prevention to utility infrastructure.
CGI is a regional partner of Common Ground Alliance in an effort to promote national best practices to prevent underground facility damages. Currently, IAMU has staff member, Dave Hraha, sits on the board of CGI, where he serves as Vice Chairperson. For 2015 CGI gained access to a grant from PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration); CGI will be targeting agriculture entities in its educational promotes to reduce facility damages in agricultural operations.
One way CGI is reaching out to agriculture is partnering with groups like the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) by running ads in its e-weekly magazine and having a vendor booth at various Ag shows including ISA annual meeting.
Iowa law does not exempt farmers from making notifications to the Iowa One call System prior to engaging in a variety of farming operations. Iowa farmers are required to notify Iowa One Call prior to engaging in any of the following operations:
*All drain tiling operations
*All terracing operation
*All operations that penetrate the soil more than fifteen (15) inches in depth
-Chisel plowing more 15 inches in depth
-Sub-soiling more 15 inches in depth
-Ripping more 15 inches in depth
-Other operations penetrating the soil more than 15 inches in depth
*Digging or driving a post in a new location other than replacing a post in its existing location.
Too many times over the past several years we have seen great devastation in Iowa from drain tile installers hitting gas transmission lines across agricultural fields. Typically we hear from the installers that they have lived and worked in that part of the state for years and they know where and how the gas pipelines run in the fields. That is of course until they hit a 24” natural gas transmission line. Iowa has around 41,000 miles of hazardous liquids or natural gas pipelines crisscrossing the state. That is why CGI is pushing to get the message out to agriculture farm, construction, and tiling operators to call 811 before they dig and use the best practices of CGA. To find out more of what CGI is doing to prevent underground facility damages go [here] http://commongroundiowa.com/who-we-are
One way CGI is reaching out to agriculture is partnering with groups like the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) by running ads in its e-weekly magazine and having a vendor booth at various Ag shows including ISA annual meeting.
Iowa law does not exempt farmers from making notifications to the Iowa One call System prior to engaging in a variety of farming operations. Iowa farmers are required to notify Iowa One Call prior to engaging in any of the following operations:
*All drain tiling operations
*All terracing operation
*All operations that penetrate the soil more than fifteen (15) inches in depth
-Chisel plowing more 15 inches in depth
-Sub-soiling more 15 inches in depth
-Ripping more 15 inches in depth
-Other operations penetrating the soil more than 15 inches in depth
*Digging or driving a post in a new location other than replacing a post in its existing location.
Too many times over the past several years we have seen great devastation in Iowa from drain tile installers hitting gas transmission lines across agricultural fields. Typically we hear from the installers that they have lived and worked in that part of the state for years and they know where and how the gas pipelines run in the fields. That is of course until they hit a 24” natural gas transmission line. Iowa has around 41,000 miles of hazardous liquids or natural gas pipelines crisscrossing the state. That is why CGI is pushing to get the message out to agriculture farm, construction, and tiling operators to call 811 before they dig and use the best practices of CGA. To find out more of what CGI is doing to prevent underground facility damages go [here] http://commongroundiowa.com/who-we-are
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