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