Daylighting in Corpus Christi
Potholing and test holes with a hydrovac: see a line's depth and position before you bore, trench or set anything.
A quote-request service, not a contractor. We pass your request to independent local operators who quote you directly.
What daylighting covers
A hydrovac crew digs a small hole with pressurized water and a vacuum to expose a buried line, so you can see it, confirm what it is and measure its depth.
Typical requests
- Test holes at every marked crossing on a bore or trench path
- Confirming the depth and size of a line before a tie-in
- Finding lines where 811 marks and drawings disagree, or marks are missing
- Exposing lines before setting poles, signs, fence posts or foundations near them
- Clearing around a valve, vault or meter for repair or inspection
- Test holes for engineers doing subsurface utility engineering (SUE)
Crews dig only as wide as they need to see the line. How the hole is left (backfilled, plated, or open for your crew) is agreed in the quote.
Trucks, water and air
The hydrovac truck
A water tank and pump feed a hand-held wand that cuts the soil, while a vacuum boom lifts the slurry into a debris tank. The tank size decides how many holes a truck digs before it has to dump.
Air excavation
Some operators also run air excavation, which loosens soil with compressed air. The spoil stays dry and can often go straight back in the hole.
Coastal Bend ground
Sand digs fast. Clay and caliche take longer and more water. Concrete or asphalt on top has to be cut or cored first. Mention all of it in the form.
When to call for it
- Before a bore or a road crossingExpose every line on the bore path so the drill crew knows its clearance.
- When marks and drawings disagreeLocate paint shows roughly where a line runs. A test hole shows exactly where, and how deep.
- Near pipelines in plants and terminalsMany plant and pipeline owners require vacuum or hand digging within a set distance of their lines. Ask the owner for their rule.
- After a line strike nearbyOpen up the area around a damaged line without adding to the damage. See emergency line exposure.
- For private lines 811 doesn't markTexas 811 member utilities mark their own lines. Private lines, like a plant's process piping or a building's service lines, usually need a private locate and test holes.
Reading the paint
Locate marks follow the APWA uniform color code. White shows where you plan to dig; the other colors show what's buried.
| Color | What it marks |
|---|---|
| White | Proposed excavation: the area you plan to dig |
| Pink | Temporary survey markings |
| Red | Electric power lines, cables and conduit |
| Yellow | Gas, oil, steam, petroleum and other gaseous or flammable material |
| Orange | Communications, alarm and signal lines, cables and conduit (fiber, phone, cable TV) |
| Blue | Potable water |
| Purple | Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines |
| Green | Sewers and drain lines |
What to have ready
Operators price faster, and closer to the final bill, when these are in the request.
- Your Texas 811 ticket number and its expiry date
- Photos of the locate marks and the white-lined dig area
- Drawings or as-builts showing the lines and the crossings
- How many holes, how deep, and the surface: dirt, gravel, concrete or asphalt
- Where the spoil goes: hauled off, or left on site
- Site rules: orientation, badging, escorts, excavation permits
- A site contact and the hours the truck can work
- How holes are left: backfilled and compacted, plated, or open for your crew
811, pipelines and permits
Texas 811
Excavators generally must notify Texas 811 at least 48 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. The call is free. If your job runs long, the ticket can expire: check the current rules and renew before it does.
Pipelines
If a pipeline is damaged in any way, the excavator must notify the pipeline operator and Texas 811. Stop work near the damage and keep people back.
City streets
Digging in a Corpus Christi street or right-of-way can need a city permit. Ask the City of Corpus Christi which permit applies before you schedule the truck.
Plants and terminals
Facility rules sit on top of state law: orientation, safety pre-qualification, insurance certificates and work permits. The operator you hire has to meet them, so put them in the request.
When can you dig?
Texas 811 generally needs at least 48 hours' notice before you dig, and weekends and legal holidays don't count. Enter when you call to see the earliest usual start.
Earliest usual start
Example: call on a Thursday at 10 a.m. and the earliest usual start is Monday at 10 a.m. If a legal holiday falls inside the window, add a business day. This is a planning aid, not legal advice: Texas 811 and the line owners have the final word, and tickets expire on long jobs, so renew before yours runs out.
Daylighting questions
What's the difference between daylighting and potholing?
On most job sites, nothing. Both mean digging a small hole with a hydrovac to expose a buried line. Some engineers say potholing for test holes at set points and daylighting for opening up a longer stretch of a line.
Do I need an 811 ticket for a few test holes?
Yes, in general. A test hole is digging, so the usual Texas 811 notice applies: at least 48 hours before you dig, not counting weekends and legal holidays. Give the ticket number to the operator.
Does Texas require hydrovac near buried lines?
Texas law requires the 811 notice and care near marked lines. Whether a line owner requires vacuum or hand digging within a set distance is up to that owner. Many pipeline operators, plants and utilities have their own rule, so ask them before you plan the dig.
Can the spoil go back in the hole?
Water-dug spoil comes out as slurry and is usually hauled away and replaced with dry fill. Air-dug spoil stays dry and can often go back in. Say in the form whether disposal is needed; it changes the quote.
What if the line isn't where the marks say?
Stop and call the line owner and Texas 811 before going further. If a pipeline is damaged in any way, the excavator must notify the pipeline operator and Texas 811.
What does a daylighting quote depend on?
Number of holes, depth, the surface (dirt, gravel, concrete, asphalt), soil (clay and caliche take longer), travel, disposal and any plant onboarding. Published guides put hydrovac work at roughly $200 to $450 an hour as a typical market range.
Price your test holes
Daylighting is already picked. Add the town, hole count, depth and your 811 status.
We pass your request to independent local operators who quote you directly. We don't own trucks or do the digging.