Don't Dig Yourself Into a Hole, Always Call 811 Before Any Excavation Project

PG&E Urges Customers to Know Where Gas and Electric Lines Lay Underground
before Working on Home and Garden Projects this Spring

SAN FRANCISCO, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring is here and with nicer
weather many homeowners plan to work on various projects around the home and
garden. PG&E urges customers who have trees to plant, sprinkler systems to
install and fences to fix to be mindful of underground natural gas and
electric lines. Everyone should always call 811 before digging. The 811
hotline is a free service to obtain important information on what utilities
exist beneath the excavation area.
Natural gas pipelines and electric power lines buried underground can lie
within just a few feet of the surface. Accidental contact with these lines can
be dangerous and even fatal. California law requires customers to notify
utilities at least two working days before digging. Calling 811 puts customers
in direct contact with Underground Service Alert (USA), a free utility
notification service for anyone who plans any type of excavation project, no
matter how small. Customers can call USA from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except for holidays.
"Calling 811 before digging is critically important to help avoid
accidents and prevent serious injury," said Bob Howard, vice president of gas
transmission and distribution for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. "Safety is
our highest priority. Since the depth of natural gas and electric lines
buried underground can vary, we want customers to know that even simple
digging projects can cause damage."
Accidental damage to utility lines can disrupt gas and electric service to
an entire neighborhood, cause significant property damage and lead to serious
bodily harm. USA notifies local utility companies to go out and mark the
approximate location of their underground facilities in and around the
excavation site. When underground lines are marked, customers can avoid them
and prevent serious accidents from occurring.
PG&E receives approximately 600,000 "mark and locate" requests through USA
each year. The company operates 150 vehicles outfitted with electronic mapping
technology to help employees identify the location of underground gas and
electric lines.
In addition to calling 811, PG&E offers these other tips for a safe
excavation:
-- Call 811 at least 2 working days prior and up to 14 days in advance
before the start of excavation
-- Customers will receive a list of notified utilities that may have
underground lines in the area. If you believe a utility may not have
marked their lines, call 811 again to notify USA
-- On paved surfaces, mark the proposed excavation area with white
chalk-based paint. Homeowners can also use other white substances such
as sugar or flour
-- On unpaved surfaces use flags or stakes to mark the proposed excavation
area
-- Carefully hand excavate if you are within 24 inches on either side of a
utility-marked facility
-- Be careful not to erase facility marks while working. If you cannot see
the markings, call 811 and request a remarking
-- 811 requests are active for 28 days. Notify USA if work continues
beyond that time
-- Immediately notify utilities about any type of contact or damage to its
wires or pipes
-- If there is any type of damage to PG&E electric wires or gas pipelines,
or if there is a possible gas leak, take these steps:
-- Move to a safe location
-- Call 911
-- Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one
of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United
States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and
central California.
For more information on Call Before You Dig, please visit
http://www.pge.com/safety
For more information on 811, visit http://www.call811.com
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

PG&E News Department, +1-415-973-5930