CLEVELAND, OH — Summer is frequently a season for home improvements and renovations. The Cleveland Water Department suggests that everyone should get their underground utility lines marked before digging on their property.
If your home improvement project will require any form of excavation, regardless of depth, notify the Ohio Utilities Protection Service (OUPS) beforehand. OUPS can offer information regarding the type and location of underground utility lines on your property by dialing 811 or using an online inquiry form.
Contacting OUPS is not only a prudent safety measure, but it is also mandated by law. A collision with an underground utility line while digging can result in property damage, personal injury and utility service outages for you and your neighbors.
Between two and ten business days prior to digging, OUPS urges homeowners to call or complete an online form. It is up to individual utility companies to locate and mark lines. When representatives of utility companies mark a spot, they do so with colored flags and/or paint to indicate the type of underground service. Water lines, connections and mains are denoted by blue flags and/or markings.
After designating utility lines around your home, be cautious of the markers' location while excavating. If you come into contact with a line, immediately cease work and escape the area. Never try self-repair of leaks or damages. Call 911 immediately if the damage is life-threatening, such as a gas line leak. Contact the utility company as well as O.U.P.S. for any utility damage.
There is no charge for dialing 811 or submitting an online request for utility line marking on your property.
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