Subsurface utility engineering

Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) is an efficient money-saving process used to improve the quality of information the designer has about underground facilities on or near a project site.

With over 30 years’ experience in wet utility contracting, Kana Pipeline truly understands the value of gathering good underground utility data prior to construction. Our goal as an SUE contractor is to eliminate delays and extra costs associated with existing underground utilities, as well as increase safety on all projects.

The subsurface utility engineering process involves multiple steps that starts with an understanding of the various installation methods, soil conditions, pipe materials, and depths a utility a contractor might have used to place their facilities. From there, Kana Pipeline in experienced in:

• Utility designating
• Location (vacuum excavation)
• Mapping

The key to our continued success resides in the fact that we utilize many tools during the designating portion of a project because no single technology is fully sufficient to find all buried utilities.

For example, we use multiple frequency pipe and cable locate systems to designate conductive targets in a variety of ways, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) to designate non-conductive targets such as vitrified clay pipe (VCP), polyethylene (PE) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe, and metal detectors. Other tools introduced to designate conduits include sondes and locatable rodders.

The complex task of subsurface utility engineering requires coordination with engineers, utility operators, contract locators, and state and local agencies. That’s where Kana Pipeline comes in, saving you time by permitting our own activities in all commercial, industrial, institutional, residential, public, and private arenas.

Kana Pipeline's team of SUE specialists strive to maintain our reputation as a subsurface utility engineering contractor and industry leader that completes the job safely, on time, and within budget.