Essential Utilities Urges You to Spring Into Safety This Season
03 April 2024 - 9:00PM
Business Wire
Customers and Contractors Should Call 811
Before You Dig
April is National Safe Digging Month and Peoples Natural Gas, an
Essential Utilities, Inc., company, urges everyone to Call
811 at least three business days before digging, this month and
beyond – no matter how small or simple the work may seem.
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the full release here:
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A Peoples Natural Gas utility worker
provides direction during road excavation. April is Safe Digging
Month, when Peoples reminds its customers to call 811 before all
digging activity to best prevent striking underground utility
infrastructure. (Photo: Business Wire)
Thousands of landscaping and home improvement projects kick off
in the spring, making it critical for contractors and Peoples
customers to take advantage of the Pennsylvania 811 One Call system
to avoid potentially dangerous situations and obey the law.
Contractors are required to Call 811 on behalf of their customers,
but the service is not just for major projects. Planting trees and
bushes, or installing a mailbox or basketball hoop, requires an 811
call just as much as building a swimming pool or installing a
fence.
“Calling 811 before digging begins is essential to keep our
communities safe,” said Lynda Petrichevich, Peoples Senior Director
of Process Operations. “Natural gas pipelines run under streets,
sidewalks, yards and homes. What is out of sight cannot be out of
mind because the most frequent cause of gas incidents is when lines
are hit and damaged. We urge all Pennsylvanians to take the extra
step for safety and call 811 before you dig.”
The Pennsylvania 811 call system is free to homeowners. The
process is simple:
- Use Pennsylvania 811 by calling 811 or 1-800-242-1776 (for out
of state callers) at least three (3) business days before the
planned start of digging;
- Peoples and other utility companies serving your home will be
notified, and send locators out to mark the location of any
underground lines;
- During the project, respect the markings and excavate with due
care; and
- In the event of any damage to pipelines, line markers, locator
wires or warning tape, promptly notify the appropriate
utility.
In 2023, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a national nonprofit
trade association dedicated to protecting underground utility
lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, issued its
“50 in 5” industry challenge to reduce damages to critical
underground utilities by 50% in 5 years. The CGA says that
effective and consistent use of calling 811 is critical in
achieving this goal and preventing damage to infrastructure that
has the potential to cripple communities and cause injury or even
loss of life.
Peoples and its sister utility, Aqua Pennsylvania, are longtime
supporters of Pennsylvania 811 and strongly encourages everyone
this National Safe Digging Month: Call Before You Dig! For
more safe digging advice, visit Peoples-Gas.com.
About Essential
Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) delivers safe, clean,
reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals,
families, and entire communities. With a focus on water, wastewater
and natural gas, Essential is committed to sustainable growth,
operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier
employer status. We are advocates for the communities we serve and
are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600
acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.
Operating as the Aqua and Peoples brands, Essential serves
approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. Essential is one
of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service
and natural gas providers in the U.S.
About Peoples Natural Gas
Peoples, an Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) company,
provides safe, reliable natural gas service to approximately
700,000 homes and businesses throughout Western Pennsylvania and
serves 41,000 customers in Kentucky through its sister utility,
Delta Natural Gas. By providing essential, cost-effective energy
while reducing emissions and investing in the communities it
serves, Peoples shows its commitment to customers, employees, and
the environment.
WTRGG
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240401091871/en/
Media Contact: Nick Paradise External Communications
Manager Media Hotline: 1.877.325.3477 Media@Essential.co
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