April is National Safe Digging Month, and Black Hills Energy is providing these four tips for safe digging to emphasize what is always the utility's first priority: safety.

1. Most important, whether you're a homeowner planting a shrub or a contractor using a backhoe, always "Call Before You Dig." Utility specialists will mark the approximate location of buried utility lines at your site with color-coded paint or flags - at no charge to you. Yellow, for example, marks gas lines.

In Nebraska, Call Before You Dig by calling Nebraska One-Call two or more working days before you plan to dig. Just call 811 or schedule online. If multiple contractors will be digging, each must contact Nebraska One-Call.

2. Spray-paint a white line around your planned excavation site. "White-lining" helps the line locator understand your plans and reduces the chance for project delays if the line locator has to return to mark additional areas.

3. Always hand-dig near gas facilities. Whether using a shovel or heavy equipment, use care around natural gas facilities. Just a nick can create a weak spot that will develop into a leak.

4. Project delays? If you don't dig within 10 days of having the lines marked, contact Nebraska One-Call again. At no charge, line locators will gladly return to re-mark the lines.

"Public safety and the welfare of work crews and our employees are always our first concern," said Don Nordell, director of business operations for Black Hills Energy in Nebraska. "Whether your project is big or small, safe digging is critical to avoid an incident that could become a tragedy."

There are severe penalties attached to non-compliance with the Call Before You Dig laws. Striking an underground utility line could leave you with the bill for expensive repairs to public or private property, to blame for a service outage to a neighborhood or entire community, or responsible for grave injury to anyone and everyone within a wide area.

In eastern Nebraska, Black Hills Energy is responsible for maintaining nearly 6,000 miles of underground natural gas lines serving 199,000 customers in 106 communities. "Underground utility lines may be out of sight, but they should never be out of mind," Nordell said. "Please - Call Before You Dig."

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