Underground utility damage topped $515M in Louisiana last year

Damage to underground utility lines cost Louisiana ratepayers an estimated $515.5 million every year to fix, according to a new report. 

The new findings from Common Ground Alliance, a nonprofit trade association dedicated to protecting utility infrastructure, show damage to utility infrastructure across the United States surpassed $83.2 billion in 2025. In Louisiana, the impact on buried power, water, natural gas and internet lines cost ratepayers an estimated $515.5 million in repairs, or more than $1.4 million a day. 

The highest dollar amount of damage in the state by far is for phone, internet and cable lines, according to the report, amounting to almost $500 million. Next were natural gas lines, totaling just over $7 million in reported damages across Louisiana. 

The report’s methodology combined 2025 data from the alliance’s online damage information reporting tool, interviews with its members and industry executives, publicly reported incidents and government data on utility damage to compile its results. 

Louisiana had a total of 5,054 incidents of reported underground utility damage in 2025 out nearly 214,000 across the country. The Common Ground Alliance stressed that damage to underground infrastructure can result in service outages, business interruptions, property damage, injuries and even deaths.

“An annual cost of $515.5 million in Louisiana makes clear that this is an economic problem, a public safety problem and an infrastructure challenge,” CGA president and CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle said in a news release.  

Louisiana law requires excavators and demolition teams to call before digging to avoid hitting and damaging utility lines. It also requires utility owners and operators to mark underground utility locations and make information available on their location before construction work or demolition begins. 

Louisiana’s 811 program provides free information on utility line locations to any individual or company to help them avoid underground damage. The service is available at 1-800-272-3020 and online.