Potholing

Opening a small, precise hole to expose a buried utility and measure its true position, depth, and material. Vacuum potholing uses compressed air or water to break the soil and an industrial vacuum to lift it out, so the line is exposed without being touched.

Potholing is what converts an interpreted locate into a measured one. Every surface method — electromagnetic, radar, acoustic — returns an inference, and a test hole is the only way to check it. It is also the method permitted inside the one-call tolerance zone, where mechanical excavation is prohibited by law. Used interchangeably with daylighting; the ASCE 38 term for the resulting data is Quality Level A.