Wall, NJ - With spring here, eager home and business owners are gearing up to start outdoor projects. Before picking up that shovel to dig, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) reminds homeowners and contractors - whoever is going to dig - to call 811 at least three business days prior to excavating to ensure all public underground utilities are properly marked. It's FREE and it's the Law.

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to New Jersey One Call, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators then visit the dig site to mark the approximate locations of underground utilities with flags, paint or both. A yellow marker indicates a natural gas service line.

"The well-being of our customers is our top priority," said Kathleen Ellis, chief operating officer at New Jersey Natural Gas. "We encourage everyone to be a partner in safety and make the call to 811 before beginning any digging project. It's free, it's simple and it's the law. Most importantly, it can help keep people and their property safe."

According to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811. Careless digging can result in property damage, repair costs, fines, disruption of vital services and even injuries. So, every digging project (i.e. installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree or garden), no matter how large or small, requires a call to 811 and should only begin once the site has been accurately marked.

During National Safe Digging Month, NJNG and CGA encourage homeowners to take the following steps when planning a digging project:

  • Always call 811 at least three but not more than 10 business days prior to the start of digging, regardless of the depth of the dig or your familiarity with the property. Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for the upcoming weekend.
  • Before digging, confirm the markout has taken place. Yellow indicates the presence of underground natural gas lines.
  • Respect all markings. Move the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
  • Maintain all marks. Be mindful that inclement weather may wash away painted markings. (Consider taking photos of the marks prior to the beginning of your project.)
  • Dig with care - hand dig within two feet of marked underground utility lines.
  • Immediately report all damage to natural gas lines, no matter how minor, to NJNG at 800-GAS-LEAK (800-427-5325).

For additional information visit nj1-call.org or the My Safety section of njng.com.

About New Jersey Resources

New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution and asset management. With annual revenues in excess of $3 billion, NJR is composed of five primary businesses:

  • New Jersey Natural Gas is NJR's principal subsidiary that operates and maintains over 7,000 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jersey's Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris and Middlesex counties.
  • NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
  • NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar and onshore wind projects with a total capacity of over 125 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.
  • NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its equity ownership in a natural gas storage facility and a transportation pipeline, both of which are Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC-regulated investments.
  • NJR Home Services provides heating, central air conditioning, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes and businesses throughout New Jersey and serves approximately 118,000 service contract customers.

NJR and its more than 950 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project® and The Sunlight Advantage®.

For more information about NJR:
Visit www.njresources.com.
Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas.
"Like" us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas.
Download our free NJR investor relations app for iPad and iPhone.

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