Prior to any plans requiring digging or excavation, utility lines (water, gas, electric, sewer, phone, cable) must be located and marked by the utility service before any work is started and before it is safe to dig. Failure to do this could lead to damage of an underground utility line, potential service outages, restoration costs, and physical injury or death.
Who do I call?
The Town of Berthoud utilizes a centralized service for Property owners or licensed contractors to schedule utility locates. Three days prior to any excavation, please call 811, or 800-922-1987. When calling for locates, please have the following information ready:
- Physical Address
- Your name
- Who the work is being done for (general contractor or project)
- Type of work (landscaping, foundation, sprinkler system, etc.)
- Extent of work (depth, specific location, etc.)
- Access issues (i.e., dog in yard, locked gate, etc.)
- Contact name and number
It is recommended that you use white paint to show the area where the digging will occur to help the locaters.
What happens after my call?
Representatives from the various utilities will come to your property and mark the location of the underground lines with colored paint. (See below what utility each color represents.) If access is an issue, such as a dog in the yard, locked gate, etc., the locater will respond by email to indicate that the locating work could not be completed and why; the customer must then call for a fresh locate when the condition has been addressed.
What do the colors mean?
- Yellow: Gas
- Orange: Communications -- Internet, Cable TV, Phone
- Blue: Water
- Purple: Irrigation
- Green: Sanitary
Do not dig near the paths marked and flagged by locator's flags for the utility lines.
Are there other lines I need to know about?
If your electric meter is not attached to the house, then your property contains private electric lines that run from the meter to the home. In addition, sewer, water, and storm drainage lines all have private components to them, typically from the curbstop to the house. In order to have these marked or flagged, you must hire a private locating company – these lines will not be marked by the utility. It is your responsibility to have this done before work begins