Call Before You Dig
Homeowners often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked, but every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees and gardening. The depth of utility and gas lines varies and there may be multiple lines in a common area. Digging without calling can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, harm you and those around you, and potentially result in fines and repair costs.
The Wyoming State Underground Facilities Law requires all persons who are excavating underground facilities in the state of Wyoming to call One Call of Wyoming at least 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) in advance of starting any underground projects. There are instances of emergencies where locates will need to be done sooner, but these are few and far between.
Requesting a Locate is Easy
One easy phone call to 811 starts the process to get your underground utility lines marked for free. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines within a few days. Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely, because knowing what's below protects you and your family.
There are standard colors which are used for each utility who locates underground facilities. These colors are as follows:
APWA Uniform Color Code (Uses ANSI Standard Z535.1 Safety Color Code)
WHITE Proposed Excavation
PINK Temporary Survey Markings
RED Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables
YELLOW Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Materials
ORANGE Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit
BLUE Potable Water
PURPLE Reclaimed Water, Raw Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines
GREEN Sewers and Drain Lines
A person who causes damage to any underground facility and does not comply with the Wyoming One Call may be fined up to $5,000 and will be liable for all damages done to that underground facility.
For more information, please call 811 or 1-800-849-2476 or visit www.call811.com or www.onecallofwyoming.com.
Emergency Locate Requests
Wyoming State Law under the "Wyoming Underground Facilities Notification Act" defines an Emergency as follows: “Emergency means an occurrence, including loss of communications, which demands immediate action to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and to prevent loss of life, health, property or essential public services. Emergency shall include ruptures and leakage of pipelines, explosion, fires and similar instances where immediate action is necessary to prevent loss of life or significant damage to underground facilities or the environment.”
Remember, an actual emergency locate request may be hampered in response time if a locator is responding to a bogus emergency locate request.