Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced a settlement Friday with MidAmerican, Mediacom, and CenturyLink over compliance with Iowa’s One Call law. Iowa law requires that excavators give proper notice before excavations to protect underground infrastructure and prevent injury. Owners and operators of underground facilities are then required to timely and accurately locate and mark their facilities.
Inaccurate locate markings can cause damage to underground facilities that may lead to injury. Homeowners and businesses may also face higher costs and delays for their projects as a result of untimely locate responses. In May of 2021, the state issued warning letters to MidAmerican, Mediacom, and CenturyLink regarding their companies’ failures to adequately address untimely and inaccurate locating ot their underground facilities. Bird says while the investigation discovered significant violations of Iowa’s One Call law, all three companies have also made drastic improvements in their locating and marking performance and compliance. As part of the settlement, each company will pay a 50-thousand dollar civil penalty by August 1st.
