2024 DIRT Report: Enforcement, Utility Work and Leadership Define Path Forward

On August 28, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA)—the national nonprofit dedicated to preventing damage to buried infrastructure—released its 2024 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report. The analysis shows the CGA Index, which tracks year-over-year damage trends, increased from 94.0 in 2023 to 96.7 in 2024. At stake are public safety, service reliability and economic productivity.

Data-driven Strategies to Break Through the Plateau

The following recommendations are built on three critical insights from 2024: Enforcement works where implemented, utility work dominates nine of the top 10 root causes, and DPI peer reviews highlight specific factors that separate high-performing organizations from the rest.

  • Strengthen Enforcement of 811 Requirements
    Reduce damages from failure to contact 811 by enforcing notification and locate timeliness more effectively—through stronger penalties, “best value” locator contracts, GPS-enabled mapping and transparent on-time performance metrics.

  • Focus on High-Risk Sectors
    Prioritize interventions in water/sewer and telecom sectors by enhancing contractor training, investing in mapping improvements and reforming contract structures.

  • Scale Proven Practices
    Expand industry-wide adoption of approaches already shown to reduce damages in leading organizations.

  • Apply Balanced Accountability
    Implement enforcement that holds all stakeholders accountable—not only excavators.

  • Accelerate Data-Driven Decision-Making
    Improve DIRT reporting quality and increase participation to strengthen insights and drive better decisions.

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W Schaefer