In addition to serving as a forum for stakeholders at the national level, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) provides an effective local forum to discuss best practices in damage prevention.  In the spirit of shared responsibility, the CGA works collectively and cooperatively with local damage prevention organizations in communities throughout North America.

The CGA recognizes that existing regional damage prevention groups have invaluable knowledge and experience, and these groups continue to make great strides in preventing excavation damage to America’s infrastructure.  The CGA also recognizes that some areas of the country currently have no regional damage prevention programs.  Through the CGA Regional Partner Program, the CGA partners with existing local, regional, and state damage prevention programs that have an objective of promoting communication among all stakeholders about damage prevention Best Practices.  The CGA also encourages the development of these programs in other areas where they do not currently exist.

Regional Partner Program Milestones

• Oklahoma Common Ground and Missouri Common Ground are approved as the first CGA Regional Partners – July 2002
• Program grows to 7 regional partners by 2002 Annual Meeting – December 2002
• Representatives from 14 programs attend the First Annual Regional Partner meeting held in Florida – December 2003
• Partnership program grows to 40 partners representing 26 states in the United States and 4 provinces in Canada – January 2006
• 50 partners participating in the program – January 2008

Benefits of Partnership

• Promotes the adoption of the CGA Best Practices within local communities as well as on a national level.  Strengthens the communication between national, regional, state, and local levels of damage prevention initiatives.
• Encourage promotion of damage prevention among stakeholders in local areas, and provides the opportunity to attend programs, conferences, and meetings locally.
• Provides national support and visibility to stakeholders joining in local discussions.  This will strengthen existing groups by helping to recruit stakeholders who may not currently participate in local damage prevention discussions.
• Promotes more widely accepted practices, procedures, methods, and tools.  This gives a regional damage prevention group the ability to influence other stakeholders in areas of continual improvement and damage avoidance, and it will strengthen the group’s ability to affect change at both state and national levels.

Learn more about Becoming a Partner and visit Current Partners page. 
Download the Electronic Regional Partner Brochure.