Today, August 11th, is National 811 Day and Pacific Gas and Electric Company is joining together with utilities across the country to help spread the word about the risks of digging at any depth without placing a free call to 811 to have all underground gas, electric, and other service lines marked prior to starting any digging project.
Customers, contractors and anyone planning to dig at any depth, should place a toll-free call to the free 811 service a minimum of two business days prior to starting the project. Utility workers will respond to the call at no cost to the customer to locate and mark the location of underground lines. Making the free call will help avoid safety incidents including injuries, property damage, and costly repairs.
“Calling 811 is free, easy and fast, and will help you keep your family and neighbors safe and connected to essential utility services. Hitting an underground gas or electric line while digging can be dangerous. Knowing where the lines are located, so that digging can be done safely in those areas, is the best way to avoid a safety incident and avoid costs associated with repair,” said Joe Forline, Senior Vice President, PG&E Gas Operations.
Underground utility lines can be shallow, sometimes only a few inches below the surface, due to erosion, previous digging projects, shifting or settling of the ground and uneven surfaces. And damaging an underground utility line while digging is expensive, with repairs averaging $3,500. A call to 811 is the best safeguard and the first line of defense to help keep your family and neighbors safe, and to avoid expensive repairs.
So far this year (Jan.-July 2022), throughout PG&E’s service area of Northern and Central California:
- There have been 737 incidents where underground utility lines were damaged due to digging, and in 54 percent of incidents when an underground utility line was damaged due to digging, 811 was not called
- For homeowners specifically, that percentage rises to 92 percent
- The average cost to repair a damaged utility line is $3,500
- Leading causes of damages to underground utility lines while digging include: building or replacing a fence, gardening and landscaping, planting a tree or removing a stump, sewer and irrigation work and building a deck or patio
Calling 811 is Fast and Free:
- Customers should call 811 a minimum of two business days before beginning any project that involves digging, no matter how large or small. Customers can also visit 811express.com to have underground utility lines marked for their project site.
- Professional utility workers for all utilities (gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunications) will be dispatched to mark the location of all underground utility lines for the project site with flags, spray paint, or both.
- The 811 call center serving Central and Northern California, USA North, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will provide Spanish and other translation services.
- Mark project area in white: Identify the digging location by drawing a box around the area using white paint, white stakes, white flags, white chalk or even white baking flour.
- Call 811 or submit an online request a minimum of two working days before digging: Be prepared to provide the address and general location of the project, project start date and type of digging activity. PG&E and other utilities will identify underground facilities in the area for free. Requests can be submitted a maximum of 14 days prior to the start of the project.
- Dig safely: Use hand tools when digging within 24 inches of the outside edge of underground lines. Leave utility flags, stakes or paint marks in place until the project is finished. Backfill and compact the soil.
- Be aware of signs of a natural gas leak: Smell for a “rotten egg” odor, listen for hissing, whistling or roaring sounds and look for dirt spraying into the air, bubbling in a pond or creek and dead/dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
