NYS and O&R Mark April as Call Before You Dig Month

By Rockland Daily Staff

 New York State, Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R), and the other utilities that operate underground facilities and equipment in the state mark April as Call Before You Dig Month.

The goal of the Call Before You Dig tagline is to remind professional excavators and Do-It-Yourselfers to request an underground utility location with UDigNY by visiting UDigNY.org or by calling 811 before beginning digging projects. Location requests are free and should be placed at least two business days, but no more than 10 days, before beginning an excavation project.

Excavators who damage underground facilities, because they do not follow state regulations, are subject to hefty fines and repair costs. Those fines from the New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPSC) could total up to $10,000 for each offense. Costs to repair or replace damaged underground facilities and restore service to impacted customers, if necessary, could run into the thousands of dollars and, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars.  

UDigNY — formerly Dig Safely New York — is the link between diggers and the underground utility operators — and placing a location request by visiting UDigNY.org or calling 811 is the first step in a safe digging project. After a location request is placed, UDigNY processes and transmits the information to the local underground utility operators, who are responsible for marking out the approximate location of any underground public utilities in the dig area.

“Whether you are a homeowner doing a backyard digging project for the first time or a professional excavator with years of experience, placing a location request with UDig NY at least two days before beginning your digging project is essential,” says Keith Wallenstein, O&R’s Section Manager of Damage Prevention & Gas Compliance. “Digging without placing a location request dramatically increases your risk of causing damage to underground utilities and injury to your workers and the public.”

O&R Sr. Damage Prevention Tech James Misczuk sprays paint to mark out the location of an underground natural gas line that feeds this home in Monsey.