Before beginning any project that involves digging or excavation, contact Texas811 before you dig. Whether you are installing a fence, planting a tree, building a structure, installing irrigation, or performing other excavation work, contacting Texas811 helps identify underground utilities and prevent damage to water lines and other underground facilities.
Texas law requires excavators to contact a notification center before beginning excavation as provided by Chapter 251 of the Texas Utilities Code. A locate request may be submitted by calling 811 or through Texas811 online.
Before You Dig
CONTACT — Contact Texas811 at least two business days before excavation, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
WAIT — Allow the required time for affected utility operators to respond to the locate request and mark their underground facilities or provide an all-clear response.
CONFIRM — Before excavation begins, confirm that the affected utility operators have responded. Do not assume that excavation may begin simply because some markings are visible.
RESPECT THE MARKS — Protect and preserve utility markings while work is underway. If markings become damaged, destroyed, or are no longer clearly visible, contact Texas811 as appropriate before continuing excavation.
DIG WITH CARE — Utility markings identify the approximate location of underground facilities. Excavators are responsible for using appropriate precautions to prevent damage when working near marked facilities.
Know What the Markings Mean
Different colors are used to identify the type of underground facility that may be present. Review the utility marking color guide above to help identify the markings you may encounter at an excavation site.
Blue markings identify potable water facilities. Rose Hill SUD may use blue marking paint, blue flags, or both when marking District water lines.
Understand the Tolerance Zone
The tolerance zone is not a margin for error and does not represent an allowable distance within which an underground facility may be damaged.
Instead, the tolerance zone establishes the area around a marked underground facility where additional care must be used during excavation. In Texas, the tolerance zone for an underground pipeline extends from the outside edge of the pipeline by one-half of the nominal diameter of the pipeline plus a minimum of 18 inches on each side.
When working within the tolerance zone, reasonable care must be used to expose and protect the underground facility. Appropriate excavation methods may include hand digging, soft digging, vacuum excavation, or other approved methods, depending upon the circumstances.
The excavator remains responsible for avoiding damage to marked underground facilities.
Additional Texas811 Information
Additional information about safe excavation practices, locate requests, and Texas excavation requirements is available through Texas811 and in the resources provided below.
If you have questions regarding Rose Hill SUD water facilities or District utility markings, please contact us at 972-932-3077.
