14 Mar 2019
Evoenergy and Icon Water are reminding the community to Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) when completing work around the home, to avoid hitting underground utility assets that could result in outages or network damage.
With almost 7,500km of underground energy assets and 6,600km of water and sewerage pipes, a single DIY mistake could result in significant interruptions to the supply of electricity, gas, water and sewerage services to the community.
“In 2018 there were 199 hits on the gas network and 99 of these could have been avoided if the person carrying out the work had just called our Dial Before You Dig hotline on 1100,” said Evoenergy Gas Manager Will Yeap.
DBYD has been operating in the ACT since 1999, and helps you check what underground assets are located near where you intend to dig. By providing the location and coordinates of where you intend to dig, they can quickly provide you with an understanding of potential digging hazards in that area.
“Too often weekend DIYers hit underground assets when doing home improvements, and while we don’t want to dim their enthusiasm, we strongly advise that people call DBYD before they even consider visiting the local hardware store, to make sure there are no nasty surprises once they start work,” Mr Yeap said.
Mr Yeap said professional tradespeople could also benefit from Dial Before You Dig. “We know it can be busy on job sites, with competing priorities and tight deadlines, but calling this free service will, in the long run, save you time and money,” he said.
Mr Yeap reminded the community to immediately call the Evoenergy gas emergency number on 13 19 09 if they accidentally hit underground gas pipes.
Icon Water Manager Maintenance Services Neil Smith also asked customers to take care when carrying out work.
“Damaging water or sewerage pipes can be dangerous, expensive, and cause service interruptions for our customers and community – not to mention waste water,” Mr Smith said.
“One small hit to underground water assets can cause larger problems, so we would like to remind the community that simply calling DBYD can save you, and us, a lot of time and maintenance work.”
For more information visit Evoenergy’s website evoenergy.com.au
Evoenergy
