August 11 (8/11) is National Call Before You Dig Day
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: PECO will display “TODAY IS NATIONAL
811 DAY – KNOW WHAT’S BELOW & CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG!” on its Crown
Lights message system, atop the company’s Market Street headquarters,
approximately every four minutes Tuesday morning and evening.
Today, 8/11, serves as a natural reminder for all customers and
contractors to call 811 to have underground utility lines marked before
digging. Nationwide, every six minutes someone damages an underground
utility line because of digging without first calling 811, according to
the Common Ground Alliance, the national association that promotes the
811 phone number and safe digging practices.
Striking an underground electric or natural gas line can cause serious
injury, damages and service interruptions. Every digging project, no
matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox,
building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of
digging projects where a call to 811 should be one of the first steps.
PECO has nearly 9,000 circuit miles of underground electric lines,
12,000 miles of natural gas distribution and service lines, and 31 miles
of natural gas transportation lines buried throughout southeastern
Pennsylvania. In addition to PECO’s lines, there are underground
communications cables, water and sewer lines, and other utilities. Even
properties that are not served by a particular service may still have
utility lines running below ground.
When calling 811, customers and contractors are connected to PA One Call
to provide information about their project. PA One Call will notify PECO
and all member utilities of your plan to dig. The utilities will then
mark their underground facilities. Calls are required at least three
business days in advance of digging.
Once lines are located, excavators also must understand the markings and
look for evidence of unmarked lines, such as water and sewer lines on
private property. Sewer clean-outs and water valve covers are examples
of equipment that can indicate the presence of underground lines.
PECO joins its Exelon sister utilities, BGE in Baltimore and ComEd in
Chicago, in marking National Call Before You Dig Day. BGE, ComEd and
PECO are members of the Common Ground Alliance and share best practices
to promote safe excavation and lower instances of damage to underground
lines.
To learn more, visit peco.com
and click on the Call Before You Dig link under the Customer
Service / Service Request tab on the home page.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility
subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). PECO serves 1.6
million electric and more than 506,000 natural gas customers in
southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region.
PECO delivered 89.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 37.5
billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2014. Founded in 1881,
PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate
citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to
numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic
development and community programs and organizations. For more
information visit PECO.com,
and connect with the company on Facebook
and Twitter.
If you are a member of the media and would like to receive PECO news
releases via email, please send your email address to PECO.Communication@exeloncorp.com.
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