Can You Dig It? Only If You Phone First

By HARRISON SHEPPARD

March 8, 1999 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

A gas explosion in Minnesota kills four people and levels three buildings. A ruptured pipe in Newport Beach sends 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into Newport Bay. A gas leak in La Habra sends 22 schoolchildren and three teachers to the hospital complaining of dizziness and nausea.

All these incidents over the past year and many more minor incidents like them were caused by people who dug into the ground and accidentally struck a utility line. From natural gas to sewage to telephone service, an intricate web of utility pipes, wires and cables runs through every neighborhood.

And officials say that if homeowners or contractors don’t call a clearinghouse number to give utilities time to mark the path of their lines on the ground before digging, there’s a risk of striking those lines. Besides, California law requires such a call, at least two working days before digging. Those who dig are also liable for any damage caused and could be fined. In this region, a free service called DigAlert--(800) 227-2600--is the one to call.

“You may estimate, ‘Well, here’s my meter, I think it’s coming from the street over here,’ ” said Ron Olitsky, who heads the service. “But you’re not going to know unless you actually call.”

Based in Brea, DigAlert was created by state law in 1976 after a natural gas line was struck in Culver City, causing an explosion that killed nine people.

The service is funded by its 817 member agencies in nine Southern California counties, ranging from small water districts and municipalities to the Southern California Gas Co., which has some 40,000 miles of underground pipe.

DigAlert receives about half a million calls a year. Still, there are more than 10,000 “dig-ins,” or struck lines, reported in Southern California every year, Olitsky said. About half the dig-ins are caused by homeowners and half by contractors.

Most dig-ins are minor and do not cause fires or sewage spills. But just an interruption in utility service can be a public safety hazard, officials said. For example, he said, if a telephone line were cut, it would disrupt 911 service and other emergency communications.

Denise King, a spokeswoman for Southern California Gas Co., said that although fires from struck lines on residential property are not common, “any time someone digs in the yard, there is the potential there for damage.”

Cities provide limited information about lines under sidewalks and public property but not information about private property, said Thom Coughran, Santa Ana’s water resources manager.

Residents shouldn’t use information from City Hall to guess where the lines travel on their property because the lines can follow indirect paths and lie as near as one foot from the surface, he added. Especially with multifamily dwellings, the underground lines can resemble “a real spaghetti factory,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Call Before You Dig

Residents and contractors are required by California law to inform a regional notification center at least two working days before digging. In nine Southern California counties, including Orange County, you can call DigAlert, which notifies its member agencies of the impending excavation. Those agencies with underground utilities in the work area come out and mark the utility paths before the start of excavation. Here’s an example of underground utilities in a typical neighborhood:

(graphic)

Lines to Watch For

* Telephone

* Cable television

* Gas

* Water

* Electrical

* High-tension

* Sewer

* Storm drain

* Oil pipelines

* Street lighting and signals