Be Safe, Be Smart and Know What’s Below – PECO Reminds You to Call 811 Before You Dig
August 11 2016 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
August 11 (8/11) is National Call Before You
Dig Day
Today, 8/11, serves as a natural reminder for all customers and
contractors to call 811 to have utility-owned underground 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. More than 125 incidents occurred last year alone
on the PECO system because some failed to call before digging.
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. Customers and contractors also
are required to call 811 before clearing blocked sewer lines to
determine if any utility lines are nearby as well.
PECO has nearly 9,000 circuit miles of underground electric
lines, 12,000 miles of natural gas distribution and service lines,
and 30 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, the state’s coordinator for utility line marking. PA One
Call will collect information about the project and provide it to
PECO and other member utilities. The utilities will then mark their
underground facilities. Calls are required at least three business
days in advance of digging.
Once lines are located, customers and contractors doing work
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 the Exelon family of utilities in recognizing
National Call Before You Dig Day and is a member of the Common
Ground Alliance to share best practices to promote safe excavation
and decrease instances of damage to underground lines. The company
also provides customers and local contractors with important
information about safety around overhead and underground utility
lines through mailings, customer newsletters, social media and
print advertising.
To learn more, visit peco.com/safety.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas
utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). The
company’s 2,400 dedicated employees provide advanced, innovative
energy solutions to 1.6 million electric and more than 511,000
natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2015
PECO delivered 86.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 38
billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The company also has an
estimated annual economic impact of $4.5 billion in Pennsylvania,
supporting more than 9,600 local jobs and producing $760 million in
labor income. 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.
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 headquarters at
2301 Market Street in Philadelphia, approximately every four
minutes Thursday morning and evening.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160811005610/en/
PECOGreg Smore215-841-5555Greg.Smore@exeloncorp.com
Exelon (NYSE:EXC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Exelon (NYSE:EXC)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024