July 15, 2026
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has released its 2025 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Summary & Trends, revealing that damage to underground utility infrastructure continues to increase across the United States and Canada. Alongside the report, CGA introduced an expanded Damage Prevention Dashboard, providing industry stakeholders with interactive data on excavation damage, locate requests, and state-specific damage prevention requirements.
The 2025 DIRT analysis examined 221,717 unique damage reports, confirming that buried utility strikes are increasing alongside construction activity. CGA’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) remains the industry’s most comprehensive database for tracking damage to underground power, natural gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, and fibre infrastructure.
The organization’s CGA Index, which measures year-over-year utility damage trends, reached a record score of 102 in 2025—an eight-point increase since 2023—indicating a continued rise in excavation-related incidents.
According to Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, President and CEO of CGA, stronger accountability, improved utility mapping, updated legislation, and greater investment in damage prevention technologies are essential to protecting critical infrastructure and public safety.
While overall utility damage increased nationally, contractors participating in CGA’s Damage Prevention Institute (DPI) demonstrated measurable improvements.
DPI members reduced excavation-attributable damages by more than 11% per 10,000 work hours between 2023 and 2025 by following CGA Best Practices, submitting regular performance data, and participating in peer reviews designed to strengthen damage prevention programs.
The report found that telecommunications and cable (CATV) infrastructure accounted for 51% of all reported utility damages in 2025, followed by natural gas systems (36%), electric utilities (8%), and water and sewer infrastructure (5%).
Water and sewer construction was identified as one of the leading contributors to damage involving natural gas infrastructure, while telecom work frequently resulted in damage to existing telecom facilities.
One of the report’s most significant findings is that failure to notify 811 before digging continues to be the leading cause of underground utility damage.
The top ten root causes remained largely unchanged from previous years, accounting for 86% of all reported incidents, highlighting the need for greater compliance with safe excavation practices and One Call notification requirements.
CGA’s newly enhanced Damage Prevention Dashboard combines DIRT data with information from One Call/811 Centres, allowing contractors, utilities, regulators, and public agencies to explore regional damage trends, locate request volumes, and state-specific damage prevention laws.
By making this information more accessible, CGA aims to help the construction industry identify risk areas, improve excavation safety, and reduce damage to critical underground infrastructure through data-driven decision-making and stronger collaboration across all stakeholders.
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