SAFETY & EDUCATION

Call Before You Dig

What is Miss Utility?

In addition to overhead lines, SMECO has many underground electric lines. Because the lines cannot be seen, it is important that anyone performing construction contact SMECO or Miss Utility to have underground lines located. SMECO subscribes to Miss Utility to simplify this process. Miss Utility is a service that provides member utilities with information about excavation, boring, pile driving, blasting, digging, etc., that may take place in their service area. This information allows SMECO to send a locator to your job site to mark underground electric lines.

Maryland state law requires that you contact Miss Utility at least 48 hours before excavation is to begin. Besides the potential for loss of life, you can be held responsible for costs associated with the repair of a damaged underground utility line that has not been located through Miss Utility.

811 - Know what's below. Call before you dig.Using Miss Utility

Miss Utility can be contacted by dialing 811 - the national Call Before You Dig number. You can also call Miss Utility at 800-257-7777 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. You may also visit their web site at www.missutility.net. A minimum of 48 hours advanced notice, excluding weekends and holidays, is required. When you contact Miss Utility, please have the following information available:

  1. Caller I.D. - (if no I.D., then items 2-6 are required)
  2. Daytime telephone number
  3. First and last name of person calling
  4. Company (if applicable)
  5. Company address (if applicable)
  6. Alternate contact name
  7. Alternate contact telephone number
  8. Work to begin date (only if other than 48 hours notice)
  9. Will explosives be used?
  10. Type of work being done
  11. Who the work is being done for
  12. State
  13. County
  14. City/Place
  15. Address
  16. Nearest intersecting street
  17. Work Location: Detailed information for descriptive locating
    1. Distance
    2. Direction
    3. Which side of street
    4. Subdivision or area
      Example: Locate East from Maple Ave. on Main St. for approximately 200 yds. to Pole -000.
  18. Remarks (special instructions)
  19. Page and grid (from Alexandria Drafting Company (ADC) map book)


Location Colors and Codes

Service Code Color*
Electric -E- Red Red
Gas -G- Yellow Yellow
Oil -O- Yellow Yellow
Telephone -TEL- Orange Orange
Cable TV -TV- Orange Orange
Water -W- Blue Blue
Sewer -S- Green Green
Proposed Excavation White White

*The colors indicated are approximations of the colors used to mark underground utilities.

This information is taken from the "Miss Utility: Utility Service Protection Center" brochure, published by Miss Utility.

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Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
15035 Burnt Store Road
P.O. Box 1937
Hughesville, Maryland, 20637-1937
1-888-440-3311

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