Texas811 links fiber sensing with excavation records to flag utility threats

Following a proof of concept and longer-term pilot with CenterPoint Energy, Texas811 is pursuing a wider Guardian initiative involving multiple sensor vendors. The system filters sensing alerts against 811 records rather than forwarding every detected activity to utility owners.

Utility managers could gain visibility into excavation that was never reported through 811, while reducing dispatches for documented work. Using mapped fiber routes to monitor adjacent assets also creates opportunities to share monitoring costs and coordinate responses across utilities.

Texas811 is moving from trials with CenterPoint Energy toward a broader, multi-vendor monitoring initiative intended to expand across Texas. Guardian combines distributed fiber-optic sensing with 811 locate records, addressing a practical limitation of sensitive monitoring systems: separating documented construction from potentially unreported excavation. When sensing detects activity, the system checks for active 811 filings within the previous 14 days. Activity without a matching record triggers an alert to the utility owner with coordinates and mapping. Texas811 also uses its statewide utility mapping database to identify where existing fiber runs alongside pipelines, power lines and water infrastructure, creating opportunities for shared monitoring costs. For asset managers, the significant change is connecting physical detection to operational records and a location-specific response workflow. Coverage remains dependent on suitable fiber routes and sensing conditions. The article reports successful trials but provides no quantified reduction in damage or unnecessary dispatches.

Evidence supplied by Fiber Broadband Association.