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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, Pa., April 25, 2005 - Columbia Gas of Maryland and Columbia Gas Transmission remind property owners to call Maryland's Miss Utility "Before You Dig, Every Dig." It doesn't matter if you are landscaping or planning a construction project, if you are a homeowner or a contractor - Maryland state law requires you to contact the Miss Utility two workings days (not including holidays or weekends) prior to beginning any landscaping, excavation, construction project or "altering the surface of the ground."
By calling Maryland's Miss Utility at: 1-800-257-7777, each member facility owner is responsible for sending someone to the site to mark their utility lines. Miss Utility is a free service provided by the member utility companies. However, some municipalities may charge to mark their facilities.
"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 Maryland. "We strongly encourage homeowners and excavators to take advantage of this free service as a matter of safety and a means to avoid property or personal injury. It's convenient, simple and it's the law."
Maryland's Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, commonly referred to as the Miss Utility Law, provides the standards and requirements for the protection of all underground utility lines throughout the state.
Follow these simple tips and avoid damaging underground utility facilities:
- Call 1-800-257-7777
before you dig.
This service is free to homeowners and non-profit organizations - Allow
required time for marking
Notify Miss Utility at least two business days before your project start date to allow the utilities to mark their facilities.
You may begin excavation earlier if Miss Utility informs you that no utility operators will be notified; or if you confirm the status of your marking request from Miss Utility'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
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.
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 Miss Utility again and notify them. Wait three hours from the time you notified Miss Utility before proceeding.
Expose the utility line to its extremities by hand digging. Do not use mechanized equipment within 18 inches (36 inches in Montgomery County) of the exposed utility lines.
Once the underground utility is located, Miss Utility Law requires that the excavator take all reasonable steps to properly protect, support and backfill underground utility lines.
More information about Maryland's Miss Utility program can be found at http://www.missutility.net
Columbia Gas of Maryland serves more than 34,000 customers in three Maryland 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 Maryland 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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