Had a close call with a buried power line in a Denver backyard last fall.

I used to just eyeball the path from the pole to the house and start digging. Now, I call 811 every single time, no matter how simple the job looks. The change came after my shovel nicked a line that was only six inches down, marked wrong on the old plot map. It was a stupid risk I won't take again. What's the weirdest place you've found a utility line that wasn't where it should be?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_taylor2mo ago

The 811 service is for marking public lines up to the meter. That backyard line from the pole was probably the homeowner's private line, which they don't mark. You still have to be careful digging on private property after the marks end.

derekn182mo ago

Yeah, that's a nasty surprise waiting to happen.

patel.morgan2mo ago

So who's supposed to mark that private line then, the homeowner?

lisas7827d ago

Paid a private guy $50 to mark my lines before digging and it saved me big time.