EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — As this Tuesday is August 11, or 8/11, Texas Gas Service is urging residents to call 811 before starting home improvement or landscaping projects to avoid damaging underground utility lines.
Safeena Khanmohamed, public relations manager for Texas Gas Service, said the date serves as a national reminder about the importance of calling 811, a free service that alerts local utility operators to come to a home and mark underground pipelines with flags and paint before any digging begins.
Safeena Khanmohamed, public relations manager for Texas Gas Service.
In El Paso, Texas Gas Service said failing to call before digging remains a major factor in pipeline damage.
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“In El Paso last year, we can tell you that almost half of the damages to our pipelines occurred because 811 was not contacted before work began,” Khanmohamed said.
Digging without knowing what is underground can lead to serious consequences, Khanmohamed said, including damage to a pipeline, injuries and service outages. She added that the risks extend beyond natural gas lines to other buried infrastructure such as electric cables, sewer lines and telecommunications lines.
Texas Gas Service encourages people to call 811 or visit Texas811.org at least two days before starting a project to allow enough time for utility operators to be notified.
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Once markings are in place, Khanmohamed said it is important to avoid digging with mechanized tools. She recommended using hand tools and digging around the tolerance zone, which she described as “18 inches plus half the diameter of the pipeline on either side of the markings.”
If an accident happens, Khanmohamed said people should treat it as an emergency.
“We want to remind the folks, if you do inadvertently hit a line, to always contact 911 and contact us,” Khanmohamed said. “If it’s a natural gas pipeline, we’ll always come out and check. Even if it seems like a small scratch or ding, it could lead to a larger problem in the future.”
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