Digging safely is a responsibility individuals and professionals across the country must take seriously. Minnesota Energy Resources reminds everyone to have underground utilities properly marked before beginning any project that involves digging or excavating.
Minnesota Energy Resources owns and operates nearly 4,900 miles of underground natural gas pipeline. In the past 19 months, there have been 242 incidents in which digging has damaged Minnesota Energy Resources underground utilities. In 25 percent of those instances, a locate request was not made to have underground utilities marked, causing 78 customers to experience a natural gas outage.
Digging safely includes:
• Contacting Gopher State One Call, the statewide one-call service, at least two working days in advance. Requests can be filed online or by calling 811.
• Utility crews marking the approximate location of underground facilities. Minnesota Energy Resources crews perform this work at no charge.
• Hand digging within two feet on either side of underground utilities.
Residents and professionals who fail to have buried utilities marked will be in violation of state law and place themselves at risk for interruptions in service, costly repairs and serious injury.