Had a digger hit my line last Thursday and it was a mess

I was about halfway through setting posts for a 200 foot run of split rail up in the hills near Boise when I hear this grinding noise from the rental mini excavator I was using. Turns out I hit an old irrigation pipe that wasn't on any of the utility maps I checked. Water started shooting up like a geyser and I had to shut everything down fast. Spent the next two hours digging out the broken section by hand and patching it with a coupling and some PVC cement I had in my truck. The homeowner came out and just stood there watching with his arms crossed the whole time. Has anyone else had to deal with hidden pipes or lines that weren't marked?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan65317d ago

Always the stuff that's supposed to be buried ends up finding you.

richardrodriguez17d ago

Idk if that was an irrigation pipe exactly. I mean, irrigation pipes around Boise are usually poly or aluminum for ag stuff. An old metal pipe shooting water like that sounds more like a rural water line or maybe a forgotten spring box from an old homestead. Did it taste funny or smell like anything? Just curious.