Gas lines and other utilities can be buried anywhere. It is important to take it seriously before doing construction and digging. If you are the one doing the burying, it is important to meet or exceed the legal depths for the safety of future generations.
What is the minimum depth to bury gas lines in Alberta?
How Deep are Gas Lines Buried in Alberta?
Gas lines in Alberta must be buried at least 24 inches under traffic areas such as driveways and parking areas, and at least 15 inches under non traffic areas.
This is distance from the top of the gas line to the top of the ground above. You should also account for the settling of backfill over time.
It is also required to run a tracer wire with the gas line. This is a metal wire that helps locating tools detect where the gas line is located.
A great visual chart that explains utility depths.
Never assume that just because these are the legal depths, the gas lines will actually be that far down.
The ground shifts over time, which can bring the lines up, or there could have been erosion from above.
There could also be questions about the integrity of the workers who buried the line. Someone could have been lazy or cut corners and buried the line too shallow.
Before digging anywhere you should call a locator service. They will look for gas lines and other utilities that you should avoid.
There are not for profit services that will locate these utilities for you at no cost. There may be a long wait, but it is worth the wait to do it safely.
The former Alberta One-Call, Alberta Common Ground Alliance, and the Joint Utility Safety Team have united under one name: Utility Safety Partners.
Source
In Summary
- Alberta gas lines must be buried at least 24 inches deep under traffic areas like driveways and parking areas.
- Alberta gas lines must be buried at least 15 inches deep under non traffic areas.
- Gas lines are also buried with a tracer wire to help locators find the gas line.
- Not for profit locator services can come to the property and locate utilities safely for you.
