NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS TO PRACTICE SAFE DIGGING BY CALLING 811

WALL, N.J. – April marks the start of peak digging season and National Safe Digging Month, and New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) reminds residents to know what’s below and call 811 before beginning any project that requires digging. It’s free and the law.

As the spring season begins, nearly three in four homeowners plan to tackle an outdoor project that involves digging, yet many underestimate the risk. According to the Common Ground Alliance, 46% of Americans don’t plan to notify 811 before digging, believing their project is too shallow to warrant a call to 811. Even everyday DIY projects like planting shrubs and flowerbeds or installing a mailbox or fence require a call to 811 for a markout of underground utility lines. Striking an underground natural gas or other utility line can cause serious injuries, service disruptions for entire neighborhoods and repair bills that could outpace any DIY savings.

“Utility lines may just be just inches below the surface due to changes in ground level over time and well within reach of common gardening tools like a spade, shovel and even a fence post. Accidentally hitting a service line can lead to serious injuries and outages,” said John Wyckoff, vice president of Energy Delivery at New Jersey Natural Gas. “We encourage our customers to be our partner in safety and take a few minutes to contact 811 — there is no project too small.”

Steps for Safe Digging
New Jersey law requires anyone who plans to dig — excavators, contractors and property owners — to call 811 prior to starting any digging project. Callers will automatically connect to New Jersey One Call, which generates a request to local utility companies for a free markout of the approximate location of their buried lines with paint or flags. Yellow indicates the presence of a buried natural gas line. To prevent utility damage and ensure safety, NJNG encourages anyone who plans to dig to follow these steps:

• Always call 811 at least three business days, and no more than 10 business days, before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
• Plan ahead and call 811 on a Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend. This will provide ample time for the approximate location of lines to be marked.
• Before digging, confirm all lines have been marked. Yellow indicates the presence of underground natural gas lines.
• Respect all utility markings and hand dig within 2 feet of marked utility lines to expose them before using mechanized equipment. Proceed cautiously when working near any marked utility lines. 
• Consider moving the location of the project if it is near utility line markings.
• If a contractor has been hired, confirm the contractor has contacted 811 for a markout of underground utilities. Don't allow work to begin if the lines aren't marked.

To learn more about safe digging practices, visit nj1-call.org, 811beforeyoudig.com or njng.com/safety/dig.aspx.

About New Jersey Resources
New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:

• New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates and maintains natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean, Morris, Middlesex, Sussex and Burlington counties.
• Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects, providing customers with low-carbon solutions.
• Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
• Storage and Transportation serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its ownership of Leaf River and the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline, as well as our 50% equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility.
• Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey.

NJR and its over 1,300 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as SAVEGREEN®.

For more information about NJR:
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