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what´s news press release
For Immediate Release
Contact(s):
04/25/2005
Media:
Robert Boulware
(724) 416-6313
Columbia
Gas urges Property Owners to
"Call Before You Dig"
CANONSBURG, April 25, 2005 - The Pennsylvania General Assembly has declared April 24 through April 30 as "Pennsylvania One Call System Week" and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and Columbia Gas Transmission remind property owners to "Call Before You Dig." It doesn't matter if you are landscaping or planning a construction project, if you are a homeowner or a contractor - Pennsylvania state law requires you to contact the Pennsylvania One Call System three workings days (not including holidays or weekends) prior to beginning any landscaping, excavation or construction project.
By calling the Pennsylvania One Call System at: 1-800-242-1776, each member facility owner is responsible for sending someone to the site to mark their utility lines. This service is free for non-profit organizations and homeowners doing work on their own residential property. Contractors who do not belong to participating associations and non-member facility owners are assessed a fee.
"The number one cause of natural gas pipeline damage is from third parties digging around our underground facilities," said Shawn Patterson, general manager for Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. "We strongly encourage homeowners and excavators to take advantage of this free service as a matter of safety and as a means to avoid property or personal injury. It's convenient, simple and it's the law."
Established in September 1972, the Pennsylvania One Call System covered Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania. The passage of Pennsylvania's Underground Utility Line Protection Act (Act 287) in 1974 required excavators to call before digging, and expanded the service area to 11 counties. Expansion continued across the Commonwealth in 1977 with the addition of central and eastern Pennsylvania counties. Having established the "Call Before You Dig" concept in the state, the Pennsylvania One Call System then sought passage of legislation mandating participation by all underground facility owner/operators. Today, Pennsylvania One Call System serves all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
Pennsylvania's Underground Utility Line Protection Act, which authorizes the Pennsylvania One Call System, provides the standards and requirements for the protection of all underground utility lines throughout the Commonwealth.
Follow these simple tips and avoid damaging underground utility facilities:
- Call
1-800-242-1776 before you dig.
This service is free to homeowners and non-profit organizations. - Allow
required time for marking
Notify the Pennsylvania One Call System at least three business days before your project start date to allow the utilities to mark their facilities.
You may begin excavation earlier if the Pennsylvania One Call System informs you that no utility operators will be notified; or if you confirm the status of your marking request from the Pennsylvania One Call System's excavator-operator information exchange system that all applicable utility operators have either marked their lines, or indicated that the area is clear of their utility, or not in conflict with your work. - Respect
the marks
o Protect and preserve the line-location markings from the time the excavation or demolition begins until they are no longer required for the proper and safe excavation near the utility lines.
o Request remarking at anytime the markings become illegible for any reason. - Excavate
carefully
Conduct a site survey before beginning your project. Look for clear evidence of unmarked utilities. Clear evidence includes, but is not limited to, the following:
§ Visual evidence of an unmarked utility line
§ Knowledge of the presence of a utility line; or
§ Faded marks from previous markings.
If clear evidence of an unmarked utility line is identified, contact the Pennsylvania One Call System again and notify them. Wait three hours from the time you notified the Pennsylvania One Call System before proceeding.
Expose the utility line to its extremities by hand digging. Do not use mechanized equipment within 18 inches of the exposed utility lines.
Once the underground utility is located, the Pa One Call Law requires that the excavator take all reasonable steps to properly protect, support and backfill underground utility lines.
More information about the Pennsylvania One Call System can be found at http://www.pa1call.org/
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, with local headquarters in Canonsburg, Pa., serves more than 400,000 customers in 27 counties. It is one of 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). NiSource distribution companies serve 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers primarily in nine states. More information about Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is available on the World Wide Web at www.columbiagas.com.
A unit of NiSource Inc., Columbia Gas Transmission operates about 12,500 miles of pipeline in 10 states. The company provides natural gas transportation and storage services to local gas distribution companies and large volume customers.
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