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Virginia Natural Gas reminds communities to “Call Before You Dig” during Safe Digging Month

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.  – April 1, 2022 – Warmer temperatures have finally arrived and before customers spring into outdoor home projects, Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) is reminding communities to “Call Before You Dig” in honor of Safe Digging Month this April. 

Virginia Natural Gas encourages customers to dial 811 to have underground utility lines marked before any digging project. This includes fence installation, paving projects, or installing a pool. It also applies to professional excavators when performing any work such as tunneling, grading, boring or blasting. Contacting Virginia 811 is also recommended for smaller, manual jobs such as planting trees or installing mailboxes.

To protect underground utilities and help ensure communities stay safe and connected, Virginia Natural Gas offers the following safe digging guidelines:

  • Contact 811 Before You Dig: Before starting an outdoor digging project, contact 811 or visit va811.com to request having underground utility lines marked at least three days prior to digging.  This service is free and required by law.
  • Allow the Required Time for Marking: After contacting 811, allow time for the underground utility lines to be marked before digging. The approximate location of the lines will be marked with color-coded spray paint, flags or stakes that correspond to the utility. The natural gas markings will be yellow.
  • Respect the Marks: Only use hand digging tools in areas near the utility line markings. 
  • Excavate Carefully: Make sure the marks remain visible during the project. If the markings are no longer visible, contact Virginia 811 to have lines remarked. If a natural gas line is damaged accidentally or the distinctive rotten-egg odor associated with natural gas is present, call 911 or the Virginia Natural Gas 24-hour emergency phone line at 1-877-572-3342 from a safe location.

For more information about natural gas safety, visit virginianaturalgas.com/safety.

VNG’s Safe Digging Arcade is another way for families to learn more about the importance of safe digging. Complete all eight activities to become a Safe Digging champion! The arcade uses science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) to educate children about how their families can stay safe and avoid damaging a utility line when digging around their homes.

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Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service to more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in southeast Virginia. Consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the company also has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for its safety, innovation, environmental stewardship, community outreach and educational programs, and has been named Local Distribution Company of the Year five times since 2015. The company has been ranked by its business customers as one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry according to Cogent Reports, and as a Top Workplace in Hampton Roads by Inside Business. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor.

Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

Media Contact:
Rick DelaHaya
o: 757.616.7510 | c: 757.323.7366
rdelahay@southernco.com | www.virginianaturalgas/pressroom