RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you really know
where the underground utility lines on your property are buried?
Would you bet your life on it—and the lives of your neighbors?
According to the Common Ground Alliance, an organization dedicated
to protecting underground lines and those who dig nearby, an
underground line is struck and damaged every six minutes in
the United States.
"It's just not worth the risk," said David Rives, senior vice president-Distribution,
Dominion Virginia Power. "Homeowners are often surprised by what's
underground—they feel that they know their property very well. A
safer bet is to assume that over time, underground utilities may
have shifted because of topographical changes (such as erosion) and
they might be just a few inches below the surface."
More than 20 million miles of underground utility lines
crisscross farmlands, suburban backyards and urban streets across
the United States. It's likely
that underground utilities are present on your property and that
having them properly marked before installing a mailbox, planting
shrubs, installing a fence or digging a patio is critical.
"Homeowners digging in their yards without calling 811
contribute to a serious issue across Virginia," said Rick Pevarski, president and CEO of VA811. "Even
for a task as simple as planting a tree, it's a must. A free, quick
call to 811 can confirm what they know, or more importantly, save
them from making a costly and dangerous mistake."
Aug. 11 is National Call Before
You Dig Awareness Day. A call to 811 connects contractors and
homeowners to a local one-call center that notifies the appropriate
utility companies of their intent to dig. This service is free of
charge. Professional locators then are sent to the requested
digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines
with flags, spray paint or both.
811 recommends the following for homeowners and contractors:
- Plan ahead: always call 8-1-1 at least three business days
before digging and allow time for marking, regardless of the depth
of the dig or familiarity with the property.
- If a contractor has been hired, confirm that a call to 811 has
been made.
- After you see paint markings or flags, but before you start to
dig, confirm with the call center that all utilities have responded
and marked their lines.
- Consider moving your project if it is near utility line
markings.
For more tips and information about safe digging and the
one-call process, visit VA811.com or
https://www.dom.com/business/dominion-virginia-power/safety/call-before-you-dig.
Dominion Virginia Power is a
subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy with operations in 14 states.
Dominion has a portfolio of approximately 20,400 megawatts of
generation and 6,455 miles of electric transmission lines, and
operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems
with 928 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility
and retail energy customers in 13 states. For more information
about Dominion, visit the company's website
at www.dom.com/.
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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power