GOVERNOR CHRISTIE PROCLAIMS APRIL AS NEW JERSEY SAFE DIGGING MONTH

Wall, NJ —With spring here and the ground ready for planting, eager homeowners and businesses are gearing up to start outdoor digging projects … and perhaps causing trouble. Remember, damage prevention is the key to safety! April marks the start of spring digging season, so New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, New Jersey One Call and Governor Christie are encouraging homeowners to call 811 before they dig to prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient outages.

Nationwide, a utility line is damaged by digging once every three minutes, and one-third of these incidents are caused by failure of the professional excavator or homeowner to call 811 before beginning their digging project.  So, before you reach for a shovel, remember to call 811, the national “Call Before You Dig,” hotline at least three (3) business days prior to excavating to ensure that your buried public utility lines are marked. In New Jersey, it’s the law!

When calling 811, homeowners are connected to New Jersey One Call, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of the intent to dig. Professional locators qualified to markout underground utilities are then sent to the digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground pipelines with flags and/or spray paint and whiskers. Yellow paint indicates presence of underground natural gas pipelines. Once lines have been accurately marked, digging can begin away from marked lines at indicated dig location(s).

“We join the governor in strongly encouraging individuals and companies to call 811 before they begin digging,” said Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO of New Jersey Natural Gas. “Making the 811 call is not only required by law, it can save people and property from harm.”

Striking a single line can cause personal injuries, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project (i.e. installing a mailbox, putting in a fence, building a deck and laying a patio), no matter how large or small, requires a call to 811. If you cause damage to an underground utility, no matter how minor, immediately call the operator.

Visit www.call811.com or www.NJ1-call.org for more information. Know what’s below and call before you dig – 811 or 800-272-1000.

New Jersey Natural Gas
New Jersey Natural Gas is the principal subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, a Fortune 1000 company, that provides safe and reliable natural gas and renewable energy services, including transportation, distribution and asset management in states from the Gulf Coast to the New England regions, including the Mid-Continent region, the West Coast and Canada, while investing in and maintaining an extensive infrastructure to support future growth. With $3 billion in annual revenues, NJR safely and reliably operates and maintains 6,800 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve nearly half a million customers; develops and manages a diverse portfolio of 3.2 Bcf/day of firm transportation and over 62 Bcf of firm storage capacity; offers low carbon, clean energy solutions through its commercial and residential solar programs and provides appliance installation, repair and contract service to nearly 130,000 homes and businesses. Additionally, NJR holds investments in midstream assets through equity partnerships including Steckman Ridge and Iroquois. Through Conserve to Preserve®, NJR is helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency. For more information about NJR, visit www.njresources.com.