Looking at your lawn or those in your entire neighborhood, you’d probably never know there’s a maze of utilities running beneath the grass. Our properties are crisscrossed with underground cables, gas and electrical lines, water pipes and telecom wires that can lie just below the surface.
Doing any home project without first knowing exactly where each of those lines run is taking a big gamble with your safety and your finances.
That’s why you should call 811, the “Call Before You Dig” line, at least two business days before digging more than just a few inches into the ground. It’s a must for projects small and large, whether it’s building a fence, building a deck or planting a tree.
A call to 811 initiates a free, no-contact visit by professional locators to your property. They use water-soluble, color-coded paint to mark utility, municipal and company-owned lines on the lawn, sidewalk and driveway.
The service is limited to company-owned and municipal utilities. You’ll have to identify where your privately owned water, buried electrical and sewer lines run — in addition to any other lines you might have underground. It’s not always easy to know where those run or if they take any twists and turns. So, if you’re not sure about the locations of your private utilities, there are many companies that offer private locate services for a fee.
Before you call, have a good idea of what your project will entail. You may need to provide information about where you’re planning to dig and what type of work you plan to do. It’s also helpful if you outline your dig area with white paint in advance of the locators’ visit. That’ll help them identify your work area quickly and accurately.
If you must dig within two feet of a marked utility, do so with care, using a rounded or blunt-edged shovel. Dig slowly and remove small amounts at a time. Never pry against a utility line to remove soil; many utilities don’t have protective casings and can be easily damaged by something as small as a hand shovel.
When working on your home, take a holistic approach to safety. That is, be just as concerned with what’s overhead as you are with what’s underground.
Overhead lines can be very dangerous and very unforgiving. Look up and plan your placements well before setting up a ladder or carrying materials or and/or using long-handled tools.
Use only fiberglass ladders when working near power lines. Always keep ladders at least 10 feet from overhead lines and be sure that if it falls, it won’t strike lines on the way down. Also be mindful of trees that have grown into power lines.
If your property is home to trees that are growing into or very near power lines or utility-owned equipment, call Customer Service at 360-992-3000, 24 hours a day, or visit the utility’s website to make a tree-trimming request.
If you’re planting a tree, don’t do it under or near overhead lines. If that’s unavoidable, choose a variety that grows less than 25 feet tall. ClarkPublicUtilities.com maintains a list of trees varieties that are safe to plant near power lines. To view the list, visit the site and search “planting trees near power lines.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
