State Law Requires Ohio Utilities Protection Service Call Before Digging to Prevent Accidents, Injuries

June 21, 2005

For safety’s sake, calling the Ohio Utilities Protection Service, (OUPS) — 1-800-362-2764 — before digging, can help property owners and contractors prevent potential accidents and injuries. State law requires customers and contractors to call OUPS at least two working days before any digging, to prevent costly damage to Dominion and other underground utility lines.

Once contacted, OUPS will alert Dominion and other participating utilities of any excavation plans, including tree plantings on private property. OUPS will ask these utilities to mark the approximate location of their underground gas lines and utility cables so that customers and excavators won't find them by accident. Also, as an additional safety precaution, customers and contractors should only dig around utility lines by hand.

Some cable television or water companies are not part of this service. Customers should contact those companies on their own. Knowing the location of these utility lines will help customers avoid costly damage or loss of service not only for themselves but also for their neighbors.

Dominion also reminds customers that the natural gas service line, which connects the company’s main line to the home or business, is the property owner’s responsibility. In short, Dominion does not own the gas service line. Consequently, the property owner is responsible for replacing a leaking natural gas service line.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 28,100 megawatts of generation, about 6 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves and 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline. Dominion also operates the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system with more than 965 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

 

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Media: Neil Durbin, 1-800-556-4400, or (216) 736-6239