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1. Why should you call before you dig?

These requirements are in place to help prevent damage to underground utilities. Careless digging ranks as the major cause of underground utility accidents.

To Locate Natural Gas Pipes, Electric Lines, and Other Underground Utilities Call 811:

• Call 811 at least two working days before digging. 811 is the national toll-free telephone number that Congress enacted to prevent damages to underground utility lines caused by digging.
• The 811 operator will ask a few questions about your project and will send your information to the professional line locators.
• The line locators will stake different colored flags or spray temporary paint on the ground to mark the paths of natural gas pipes, electric lines and all other underground utilities.
• The Texas 811 service does not charge for locating any utility lines or explaining state excavation laws.

To Locate Water, Sewer, Traffic, and City Fiber Optic Lines Call the City of University Park at 214-987-5496 or email Line Locates.

• The City requires two full business days to mark the area you have requested (exceptions: emergency locates).
• When requesting locates, you will be asked to provide your name, number, company name, type of work you are doing, and location of the project you are working on. Specify if the project is outlined in white markers and whether you need locates marked in the front of the property, in the street, behind the curb, on the side or in the rear of the property.
• After requesting locates, you will soon see some colored marks or flags at your jobsite letting you know where underground lines are so you can safely dig. If any lines are clear of that area, "clear" will be written on the ground.
• You must call back in two weeks if you are still working on your project to request updated locates before locates expire.
• This service is free. The city does not charge for locating city water, sewer, traffic signal conduits and City fiber optic lines.

To Locate Buried Lines on Private Property Call a Plumber:

The 811 services and the City of University Park cannot mark buried lines on private property. A commercial line-locating firm or a licensed plumber should be able to mark all private utility lines. Generally speaking, any lines running from a water meter to the house are the homeowners' responsibility, and any sewer lines from the City main to the house are the homeowners' responsibility.

2. What should you do after utility lines are marked?

• Take special care when working around all utility line markings.
• Dig by hand in the tolerance zones indicated by the line markings.

3. What if you hit a line when digging?

• If you damage a natural gas pipeline (even if it’s only a nick, scrape, or dent), call 911 and then call Atmos Energy’s emergency number at 866-322-8667, so that Atmos can inspect the pipeline and make any repairs. Even minor damage can weaken a pipeline and cause a future leak.
• If you damage a water / sewer line, call the City of University Park water emergency line at 214-987-5496.
• If you damage other cables, phone lines, etc., call 811 back and report a “dig up” ticket. Texas811 will identify the line and let the excavator contact the company directly to report the damage. The company will send out a repair crew to restore service.  The City must also be contacted at the time of damage at 214-987-5405.