Homeowners Encouraged to Have Utility Lines Marked Before Beginning Spring Projects

(KNSI) – Xcel Energy is asking those who are anxious to get into the dirt to call before they dig.

April is Safe Digging Month, and gardeners and DIYers must dial 811 to have their yards checked and marked for electric, natural gas, water, and cable lines before the shovels come out. Whether the dig is deep for large-scale renovation projects and landscaping jobs or for planting a tree or installing a mailbox, Gopher State One Call needs to be contacted. Requests can also be made online.

In 1986, a woman and her six-year-old daughter died when a pipeline exploded and a fireball tore through their Mounds View neighborhood. While the explosion wasn’t due to unsafe digging, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says it should serve as a reminder of what could happen when a utility line is hit.

Last year in Minnesota, the utility had to repair 105 damaged electric or natural gas lines.

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