Damaged lines from digging are down 31%

    If a backhoe operator doesn't know what's underground, it could spell disaster for him, his crew and the people in the neighborhood.
 
   That's because a punctured gas line could explode, causing injury or death. A severed power line could electrocute someone.

    And in almost every case of damaged lines - including water and wastewater pipes - services are cut off for repair.

    To avoid that, Colorado Springs Utilities started a program in 2002 that penalizes contractors for digging without approval.

    Since then, damaged lines from digging have declined by 31 percent.

    And although the city can slap on fines ranging from $5,000 to $75,000, penalties have been imposed in only 8 percent of the 3,146 damage cases.

    Average fine: $688.

    "It's really not about the money," said Shelly Nawrocki, Utilities damage prevention program administrator. "We want to educate them. Unfortunately, not all excavators respond like we want them to. It gives us a little leverage if necessary."

    At risk are hundreds of miles of pipes, cables and wires buried beneath city streets and even backyards. Campaigns urging people to "call before you dig" aim to dispatch the right utility company to the area ahead of time to mark the location of underground conduits.

    In Colorado, those planning to dig should call 811; the dig site will be relayed to the proper utility companies, Nawrocki said.

    That way, excavators, including the guy digging holes for fence posts in a yard, can avoid utility lines.

    "We have 48 hours, not including the day of the call, to respond and mark our underground facilities and let the homeowner or excavator know where our services lie underground so they don't hit us," she said.

    "If someone is digging and they have not called to request a locate and they cause damage, that's where civil penalties come into play," she said.

    Homeowners are exempt from fines but liable for repairs that Utilities must make as a result of their digging.

    In 2002, there were 673 incidents of line damage, prompting the City Council to enact fines of up to $5,000 for the first offense, up to $25,000 for the second and third offenses and up to $75,000 for subsequent offenses in a 12-month period.

    The city has seen no fourth offenses within a year and only two contractors had multiple offenses in a year's time.

    In 2003, damages dropped by 15 percent to 575. The lowest number - 431 - came in 2006. Last year, damages crept up to 460.

    Utilities has assessed 250 fines totaling $172,000 since the program began. That represents a fraction of the breaks because Utilities can adjust them based on an excavator's damage history, damage severity, degree of negligence and cooperation.