With warmer weather here, landscaping, gardening and renovation projects are underway, increasing the risk of more incidents of damage to underground infrastructure.
FortisBC and BC 1 Call are teaming up to ask residents and contractors to click or call BC 1 Call before they dig, excavate or disturb the ground in any way as they begin their spring garden work.
In 2023, FortisBC saw 844 instances of damage to underground gas lines.
Nearly 70 per cent of the incidents were the result of work performed without contacting BC 1 Call prior to digging.
Of the other 30 per cent, most did not appropriately use the information provided or did not dig by hand first.
Of the 2023 recorded damage incidents, the region with the highest percentage of line strikes is Metro Vancouver at 327, followed by Thompson Okanagan at 183.
Vancouver Island was third with 132 incidents.
"It is very promising to see our damage incidents decreasing by about 10 per cent year over year since 2020," said Tanya Kowalenko, program manager, public safety, FortisBC. "However, even one incident is one too many. Approximately 90 per cent of damages to our gas lines are preventable by following safe excavation practices."
Nearly 75 per cent of damages to gas lines across the province are caused by contractors. Those contractors who dig with equipment or machinery are required to first dig by hand in order to expose any buried utility lines.
BC 1 Call is a free and convenient service offered to the general public and contractors.
A click or call to request a locate ticket is all that it takes to have BC 1 Call notify those of its 363 utility owning members whose assets lie within the dig site.
This can be done by either visiting the BC 1 Call website HERE or calling 1-800-474-6886.
BC 1 Call members will get back to you within three business days with instructions on how to avoid damaging underground infrastructure.
In 2023, BC 1 Call received more than 229,000 locate ticket requests, with 83 per cent of these requests coming via its online platform.