Don’t guess when it comes to digging
August 11 is National Safe Digging Day, or 811 Day. It’s the perfect time to remind homeowners, contractors, or anyone who digs about the importance of calling 811 before starting a project.
Your yard has a whole network of pipes, wires and cables that make modern life possible.
Never assume you know where they are located – Texas law requires you to call 811 for any digging project 16 inches or deeper. Once you call 811, wait the required two business days for a utility locator service to mark the utilities on your property so you can dig safely.
Hitting a CoServ electric or natural gas line is not only dangerous but can disrupt service to multiple homes and businesses. Hitting an electrical line can cause electrocution, while puncturing a gas line can lead to a leak and potential explosion if there’s an ignition source nearby.
How often are gas lines hit?
In the first quarter of 2024, CoServ Gas received 25 hit gas line calls; nine of those were attributed to the failure to call 811. If gas is leaking, the fire department is called to assess the situation and decide if a road closure or evacuation is necessary. The cost to repair a line ranges from $500 to $10,000.
NOTIFY:
WAIT: the required 48 hours (two business days)
CONFIRM: all utilities notified have marked the area
RESPECT: the marks
DIG carefully: no mechanized equipment within the tolerance zone
Test your smarts to solve the puzzle!
ACROSS
3. Wait ______ business days before starting your digging project after calling 811.
5. These will be safely marked if you call 811.
6. If there’s a gas leak, don’t use electronics or anything that could cause a spark because the gas is _______.
9. It’s not a solid, it’s a _______?
10. When you call 811, a worker uses a special tool that ______ where the underground utilities are.
11. It is safe to dig once you see flags and _______ on the ground marking utilities.
12. These bigger pipelines transport gas longer distances.
Choose from these answers:
Two
Gas
Rotten Eggs
Yellow
Free
Pipelines
Mercaptan
Main
Safety
Flammable
Marks
Paint
DOWN
1. This is one of CoServ’s Core Values.
2. This is what natural gas smells like.
4. If you see this color marking on the ground, that’s a gas line.
7. This is added to natural gas to give it a smell.
8. How much does it cost to call 811?