With August 11 almost here, Columbia Gas of Virginia hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder that protecting natural gas pipelines is a shared responsibility between the public, professional excavators and utilities.
Nationally, every six minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
“In the first six months of 2016 Columbia Gas pipelines have been damaged sixty times because individuals either did not follow Virginia law and call 811 before digging or failed to dig safely near our underground facilities,” said Phil Wilson, Vice President and General Manager for Columbia Gas. “By calling 811 and properly exposing our natural gas facilities, you can help protect against damaging natural gas and other underground utilities and prevent serious personal injury or losing utility service.”
When calling 811, the person performing the digging will be connected to Virginia811, the Virginia one-call center, which notifies all appropriate utility owners of their intent to dig or demolish property. Professional utility locators are then dispatched to the requested digging or demolition site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint or both. The Virginia811 service is a partnership with all Virginia utility companies and local communities, as part of their commitment to public safety and in aggressively protecting underground facilities.
The second step is to allow each utility time to locate their underground utilities and clearly mark their facilities using the universal color code. The colors are:
Red – Electric; Orange – Communications, Telephone/CATV; Blue – Potable Water; Green – Sewer/Drainage; Yellow – Gas/Petroleum Pipe Line; Purple – Reclaimed Water and White – Premark site of intended excavation
The third step is to take care when digging near the utility marks. Virginia law requires using only hand tools when digging within two feet either side of the utility marks. Any type of mechanized equipment is prohibited within the two foot tolerance zone.
The final step requires you to support any exposed utility lines and work with the utility operator to make sure the facilities are not at risk or damaged. Striking a single utility line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages.
Every digging or demolition project, no matter how large or small, requires a call to 811 at least 3 days before starting to work. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, demolishing an old shed, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that need a call to Virginia811 before starting the work.
For more information about natural gas safety, visit www.ColumbiaGasVa.com.
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