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 Marking
utility lines is a free service – and it's the law. Follow these
important steps to stay in compliance and avoid serious injury, loss
of service and expensive repairs:
Call 811 at least two business days before starting a digging
project. Requests can be made at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. 811, the national call-before-you-dig phone number,
automatically connects callers to either Missouri 811 or
Illinois J.U.L.I.E (Joint Utility Locating Information for
Excavators) organization.
Wait two days until a professional locator comes out to mark natural
gas, electric, water, sewer, telephone and cable lines. The
approximate location of buried utilities will be marked with paint
or flags so that you can avoid them. Each utility type corresponds
to a specific color of paint or a flag, and all of them must be
marked before you can dig.
Once the site has been clearly marked, proceed with caution. Try to
avoid digging within 18 to 24 inches of each utility mark, if
possible. It’s important to use the appropriate tools to dig with
care and follow safe digging practices.
“Some underground utility lines are closer to the surface than
people realize,” said Pam Harrison, director of gas operations for
Ameren Missouri. “It’s important to make the call to 811 and have
them mark the lines on your property – no matter if you’re putting
in a fence or mailbox, adding a new flower bed or planting a small
tree. It’s free and easy.” Nationwide every
six minutes, an underground utility is damaged because someone
didn't call 811 before that first shovel or spike broke the earth.
If you damage a natural gas line, immediately leave the area, go
upwind and call your utility provider, 911 emergency and then 811.
You can reach Ameren Missouri at 800.552.7583 or Ameren Illinois
at 800.755.5000. [to top of second
column] |
"Ameren has seen a spike in
reported damage from stakes causing natural gas outages because
customers may not realize that driving a stake into the ground
is considered excavating according to the law," said Eric Kozak,
vice president of natural gas operations and distribution for
Ameren Illinois. "We are working to communicate and educate them
about the importance of calling 811 before breaking the earth
with a stake or shovel."
To learn more about safe digging, visit call811.com. For more
information on natural gas safety, visit Ameren.com/Safety.
About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life
for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural
gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren
Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility
subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and
distribution service and natural gas distribution service.
Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and
distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution
service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois operates a
rate-regulated electric transmission business in the
Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more
information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenCorp,
Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.
[Brian E. Bretsch]
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