Excavation is part of many residential, commercial, and rural projects, but digging without first identifying underground infrastructure can create serious safety risks and costly damage. Across Victoria, buried services such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, and stormwater assets may be present beneath private properties, roads, and easements.

Whether the project involves trenching, post hole digging, landscaping, or general earthworks, checking for underground services should always be one of the first steps before machinery enters the site.

What Underground Services May Be Present?

Many property owners know where visible utility connections enter their property, but the exact location of buried infrastructure is often unknown. Over time, additional services may have been installed, relocated, or extended during renovations and property improvements.

Common underground services include:

Electrical cables

Gas mains and consumer gas lines

Water supply pipes

Sewer and stormwater pipes

Telecommunications and internet cables

Irrigation systems on rural and residential properties

Some services may be buried at relatively shallow depths, making them vulnerable during excavation.

Why Underground Service Checks Matter

Striking an underground service can have immediate and long term consequences. Damage to electrical cables or gas lines can create serious safety hazards, while broken water or sewer pipes may interrupt essential services and require extensive repairs.

Even minor excavation projects can expose buried infrastructure if the location has not been confirmed beforehand. Repair costs often exceed the time required to complete proper service checks before work begins.

Planning ahead also reduces unexpected delays that may occur if damaged utilities need to be repaired before excavation can continue.

Dial Before You Dig Has Been Replaced

Many Australians are familiar with the former Dial Before You Dig service. This system has now been replaced by Before You Dig Australia, which provides information from participating utility owners about the approximate location of underground assets before excavation begins.

Property owners and contractors can request plans for the proposed excavation area to identify many underground services before work starts. While these plans provide valuable guidance, they do not always show privately installed infrastructure such as irrigation systems, private electrical cables, or undocumented pipework.

For this reason, additional site assessment may still be required.

Private Services Can Be Just as Important

Utility plans generally focus on publicly owned infrastructure, but many properties contain privately installed services that will not appear on official records.

Examples include:

Garden irrigation systems

Electrical cables supplying sheds or workshops

Water lines to tanks or troughs

Drainage installed during landscaping projects

Lighting cables beneath driveways or gardens

Property owners should consider any previous building or landscaping work that may have introduced underground infrastructure before excavation begins.

Safe Excavation Starts with Good Planning

Every excavation project is different, but identifying underground services remains one of the most important planning steps regardless of the job size. Understanding what may be beneath the ground allows excavation work to be carried out more safely while reducing the risk of damaging essential infrastructure.

Across Victoria, taking the time to confirm underground service locations before digging helps protect people, nearby property, and existing utilities while allowing excavation projects to proceed with fewer unexpected interruptions.