August 11 (8/11) Serves as a Reminder for New Jersey Residents to Always Call 811 Before Digging. It’s Free and It’s the Law.
As August 11 (8/11) approaches, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) reminds
residents to call 811 prior to any digging project to have underground
utility lines marked. Damage prevention is the key to safety. With a
call to 811 before digging, you reduce the chance of causing damage to
less than one percent.
Careless digging can result in the disruption of vital services,
property damage, repair costs, fines and even injuries. Whether you plan
to do it yourself or hire a contractor, 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 that need a call to 811 before starting.
Dialing 811 will connect you to New Jersey One Call, which notifies the
appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Professional
locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate locations
of underground utilities, within the scope of the markout request, with
flags, paint or both. Yellow indicates a natural gas line.
In recognition of National 811 Day, NJNG invites residents to learn more
about safe digging practices at its annual Dig Safely Fair on Saturday,
August 11, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at The Home Depot in Hazlet,
3700 Route 35. Representatives from NJNG, New Jersey One Call, the New
Jersey Board of Public Utilities and UtiliQuest will be on hand to
educate attendees and answer questions about how to dig safely around
natural gas facilities, identify a natural gas leak and keep property
and communities safe.
“On August 11 and throughout the year, we remind everyone to always use
safe digging practices. Making the FREE call to 811 is not only required
by law, it’s an important step in keeping our neighbors, everyone’s
properties and our communities safe,” said Craig Lynch, senior vice
president of energy delivery, at New Jersey Natural Gas.
NJNG encourages homeowners to take the following steps before digging:
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Always call 811 at least three, but not more than 10, business days
prior to the start of any digging, regardless of the depth of the dig
or your familiarity with the property.
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Before digging, confirm the markout has taken place. Yellow indicates
the presence of underground natural gas lines.
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Respect all markings. Take a photo of the markout because inclement
weather may wash away painted markings. Maintain the markouts until
it’s no longer necessary and move the location of your project if it
is near the markings.
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Dig with care – hand dig within two feet of the outer wall of the
underground facility.
For more information about 811 and safe digging practices, visit
nj1-call.org or the My Safety section of njng.com. In the event of
damage to a natural gas pipeline, immediately call 911 followed by a
call to NJNG at 800-GAS-LEAK (427-5325).
About New Jersey Resources
New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that,
through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and
clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset
management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:
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New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates
and maintains over 7,400 miles of natural gas transportation and
distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in
New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex and
Burlington counties.
-
NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar
and onshore wind projects with a total capacity of more than 335
megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with
low-carbon solutions.
-
NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural
gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural
gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across
North America.
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NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and
producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its
50 percent equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage
facility and its 20 percent equity interest in the PennEast Pipeline
Project.
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NJR Home Services provides service contracts as well as
heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators,
solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential
homes throughout New Jersey.
NJR and its more than 1,000 employees are committed to helping customers
save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging
efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such
as The SAVEGREEN Project® and The Sunlight Advantage®.
For more information about NJR:
www.njresources.com
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