Utility Locating in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Wenatchee: Big Lots, Irrigation, and Basalt
Eastern Washington properties are large, dry, and spread out, and that shapes what is in the ground. A five acre lot north of Spokane or in Franklin County can hold more buried private line than a full city block: well lines, irrigation mains, power to a shop, a septic system, and a propane run. 811 marks none of it. Our main office is in Deer Park, and we cover Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, and Coeur d'Alene from there.
What makes this side of the state different
Three conditions come up on almost every job here.
Irrigation. Between the irrigation districts in the Columbia Basin and private systems on acreage, a great deal of water moves underground. Irrigation mains, laterals, and control wire are usually plastic, usually shallow, and rarely on a drawing. A single fence line or driveway can cross three of them.
Wells and septic. Outside city water and sewer, which covers most of the county, a property has a well line running to the house and a septic tank and drain field running away from it. Both are private and unmarked. The drain field is easy to crush with equipment if its location is unknown.
Rock. The Spokane area sits on basalt. Much of the ground around Wenatchee and the Tri-Cities is rocky or has shallow bedrock. This matters in two ways. Lines were routed around rock, so they rarely follow the straight path you would expect. Ground penetrating radar also performs worse in dry, rocky soil. We rely on electromagnetic locating first and use GPR where the soil allows.
Lines we mark that 811 does not
Well line from the wellhead to the house
Power to shops, barns, pump houses, and detached garages
Propane from the tank to the house and to outdoor appliances
Irrigation mains, laterals, and valve wire
Septic tank, distribution box, and drain field
Private water and sewer services on the customer side of the meter
Jobs where you will want a private locate first
Fencing on acreage (post holes strike irrigation more than any other line we see)
Shop or pole building construction, including the trench for the new power feed
Septic repair or replacement, starting with locating the tank
Irrigation expansion or repair where you are tying into an existing system
Commercial site work in Spokane Valley, Kennewick, or Pasco where the records stop at the property line
On commercial and industrial sites, the private side often includes fire lines, site lighting circuits, and abandoned process piping.
What you get
Every line we find is painted in the APWA color code, so your excavator reads our marks the same way they read 811's. Depth readings are estimates. For a permit, a design, or your own records, we can provide a sketch or a GPS/RTK file of the findings (when selected at time of service).
Scheduling in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
We work out of Deer Park and cover Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, Deer Park, the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, and Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls across the state line. Call 509-710-2621 or send the address and a description of the work, and we will schedule a time. Contractors with regular work can set up an account and skip the quote step.
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