Know What's Below
Click on this house to see what your
yard may look like as a result of your call to JULIE!
Call or Click Before You Dig
You've taken the first step toward safe digging by contacting
JULIE, Inc. Please save your locate request reference (or dig) number
and check the dig start date and time.
But wait, what happens next?
Wait the
Required Amount of Time
You may not begin your excavation
before the dig start date and time stated on your locate request, even if all utilities have been
marked prior to that time.
At the bottom of your locate request is a list of Member codes that represent the utility companies that have been notified about your digging project. Within two (2) working days of receiving your E-mail confirmation from JULIE, a representative from each of these companies (not a JULIE staff person) will either mark the location of their underground facilities or contact you to let you know that their facilities are not in conflict with the area in which you are planning to dig. Make sure that your property is accessible or delays may occur. As an important personal and home safety reminder, these locators rarely need to access into your home to complete a locate request and should always have proper identification clearly visible. JULIE, Inc. personnel never visit dig sites and do not locate any underground lines.
Respect the Marks
Well you called before digging, waited the required amount of time for your
lines to be marked, and now it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work!
By
now the utility locating crews have been to your property and made sure to mark
the approximate location of their underground utility lines
using paint
and/or flags in the APWA approved color for their utility as illustrated here.
Check the dig site area before proceeding.
If any of the member utilities listed on your locate request ticket have not
responded or if it is clear that an unmarked facility is present, call JULIE
back at 811 or 800-892-0123 (call center agents are available 24/7).
It is important
to know that the member utilities are only required to mark the facilities that
they own and maintain - they do not mark private facilities.
Private facilities are lines that were installed after the meter and are
considered customer owned. The property owner is responsible to locate
these facilities or hire a private locating service.
Dig With Care
Now that you're ready to put your shovel into the ground - there are a few
more details to cover.
Your
excavation project must begin within 14 days of your contact with JULIE. When digging be sure to always do so around the marks - not on top of them.
Some utility lines may be buried at a shallow depth and an unintended shovel
thrust can bring you right back to square one - facing possible injury, service
outages and repair costs.
If utility markings exist near where you plan to dig, you must also understand the tolerance zone. This area is the approximate location of a underground utility facility defined by a strip of land at least 3 feet wide, but not wider than the underground utility facility plus 1 1/2 feet on either side of such facility based upon the markings made by the owner or operator of the facility.
Excavation within the tolerance zone requires hand-digging using extreme care and caution.
Always Be Safe
Don't forget that with time, erosion or root structure growth may shift the
locations of your buried utility lines, so remember to contact JULIE every time
you are planning a digging project. Don't assume you know where the
facilities are buried on your property. Safe digging is no accident.
Please remember to contact JULIE for each of your upcoming projects, regardless of the size of depth. This is a free service. For additional information about safe digging, please view our Homeowner's Guide. Thank you for contacting JULIE, Inc.