A lot of people tend to get irritated when they hear about rules such as the one that states you have to dial 811 for a Colorado Springs utilities locations technician before every digging project. Let’s say you have to dig a small trench in your back yard. Even if the trench isn’t very deep, you still have to call your utility locator to make sure you don’t hit someone’s internet line or water pipes, while you’re digging.
The main risk is that you could hit an area with a lot of utility lines going through it and hit one with your shovel, damaging it or even causing a leak. The biggest danger arises when you hit a gas pipe, since leaking gas is extremely flammable and dangerous, possibly even leading to fatalities, if you’re not careful. If you already suspect a gas leak, make sure you look up and call the number for the National Gas Emergency Service in your area as soon as possible.
Other problems can also arise, such as hitting a sewage line or a water line. Water or sewage could spill in your yard, potentially leading to thousands of dollars worth of damage, and not even counting the amount you have to pay to have the leak fixed.
Finally, if you’re not careful, you can end up in conflict with your neighbors, since you damaging a power line or any other utility line for that matter, could cause their utility services to be discontinued.
I will call a utility locator even if I don’t plan on digging deep. I don’t want to hit something and cause an accident. all of my neighbors would hold it against me for months.