Locating Water & Sewer Lines Before Digging (Miss Utility)

Miss Utility

Dial 811

The Virginia Underground Damage Prevention Act requires anyone planning to perform any digging, grading, trenching, or other similar activities to provide at least 48 hours notice to utilities such as the telephone company, the cable television company, the electric power company, and the water and sewer utility so that they may mark any underground lines they may have in the area of the planned excavation. This notification can be provided by making one call to the Miss Utility notification center at 811 . Miss Utility will then notify all of the affected underground utilities that they need to mark their lines.

The marking is done with colored paint or flags. Each utility has a designated color. This provides the excavator with information as to what utilities to expect in the area of his/her excavation. The color designations are:

RED Electric power lines, cables, conduits, lighting, and transmission lines.

YELLOW Gas distribution and transmission, oil and petroleum products distribution and transmission, dangerous materials, product lines, steam lines.

ORANGE Telecommunications systems, police and fire communications, cable television, alarm or signal lines, cable, or conduit.

BLUE Water systems, slurry systems, irrigation systems.

GREEN Sewer systems and drain lines.

WHITE Proposed route of excavation.