RRC’s Pipeline Damage Prevention Page Gets Streamlined to Better Serve Residents and Excavators

Safe Digging Month in April was a great opportunity for the RRC to remind residents and businesses about the importance of calling 811 to avoid hazardous or costly repairs to underground utilities or pipelines when digging.

Line locators have 2 days to arrive and mark any underground utility lines with flags or paint, after 811 has been called. Excavation work can safely begin once the area has been marked.

In April, the Commission streamlined the agency’s Pipeline Damage Prevention web page to make it easier to find resources needed to start any new projects that require digging, and to report any damages to gas pipelines. This page can be helpful for homeowners, electricians, landscapers, plumbers, and for anyone who is digging in Texas.

The chart below shows that telecommunicationsrelated work accounted for the largest portion of damages to struck gas lines that were reported to the RRC last year.

“When we looked at the number of gas pipeline damages reported from 2020 to 2022, the percentage of incidents from telecom work doubled from 12 to 24 percent,” said Karley Bisbano, RRC Manager for Pipeline Damage Prevention. “It may be because of increased telecommunications demand and network expansion around the state. Whatever the project is, we can’t overemphasize the importance of calling 811 to confirm it’s safe before costly repairs or injuries occur.”

Anyone planning to dig more than 16 inches in depth must call 811 at least 2 days before beginning a project so that underground utilities can be properly marked, per state law.

As a safety precaution, we recommend calling the number even when digging less than 16 inches.

Violating damage prevention rules results in penalties starting at $1,000 per offense. It is best to call to have the area assessed before you begin unearthing expensive utility work, even if you are not sure whether your project qualifies as a violation.

Location requests can also be filed online at the Texas 811 website at https://www.texas811.org/.