It may seem hard to believe that an underground utility line—such as a gas pipe or a water line— is damaged every six minutes in America because someone didn’t take the time to call 8-1-1. Last year, there were nearly 200 instances of such damage to PG&E facilities throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. And with spring well upon us and green thumbs around the East Bay mapping out their flower beds, we want to remind our customers of the importance of safe-digging and calling 8-1-1 before you start your project.
A simple, toll-free call to the Underground Service Alert (USA) program, will notify local utility companies of your intention to dig and utilities, like PG&E, will locate and mark underground lines and pipes. Planting a tree? Installing a fence? Trenching? Utility lines and pipes need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.
No matter the size of your project, you should always call 8-1-1 at least two days before your dig. Calling 8-1-1 is free and takes only a few minutes, can prevent neighborhood outages, thousands of dollars of damage and—most importantly—will keep you, your family and our community safe.
The safety of our customers, employees and the communities we serve is always our top priority, and we ask every customer to help do their part. One thing that is certain to increase safety, reduce risk and enhance reliability is calling 811 two days before any digging project.
Stay safe this spring.
Vic Baker
Diablo Division Sr. Manager
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
