“Whether you’re a homeowner building a fence, a real estate agent posting a for-sale sign, or a contractor doing excavation, the rules are the same: you must call to have utility lines located. It’s the law,” said Daphne Mathew, NW Natural public information officer. "Hitting an underground utility line can interrupt service to entire neighborhoods, cause serious injuries, or result in fines and costly repairs.” 

Contacting 811 is free and easy. At least two days before the start of a project, call 811 or go online to make the request at https://digsafelyoregon.com/. You can also use NW Natural’s new safety app. 

When you contact 811, a local one-call center representative collects details and notifies the local utility companies of the intent to dig. Then, a professional locator visits the site to mark the location of underground utility lines with paint. Once the site is marked, it is safe to dig carefully around the marked areas. Learn more at https://digsafelyoregon.com. 

If while you’re digging, you accidentally hit a gas line, report it immediately by calling 911 or NW Natural’s emergency line at 800-882-3377. No damage is too small to report to NW Natural, even a small dent could weaken a natural gas line. 

Always remember to Smell. Go. Let us know. If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately, then call us at 800-882-3377 and we will come over and check things out.

 

About NW Natural Holdings 
Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and through its subsidiaries has been doing business for 160 years in the Pacific Northwest. It owns NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), and other business interests and activities. 

NW Natural is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately two million people in more than 140 communities through more than 750,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores. 

NW Natural is currently constructing a 2.5 Bcf regulated gas storage expansion of its 16 Bcf facility in Oregon to support renewables. NW Natural Holdings’ subsidiaries own and operate 31 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity. 

NW Natural Water currently provides water distribution service to approximately 22,000 people through 7,400 connections. To date, NW Natural Water has acquired four water distribution utilities with several additional acquisitions pending. Upon closing current outstanding transactions, cumulatively, NW Natural Water will have invested $70 million and serve nearly 45,000 people through approximately 18,000 connections in the Pacific Northwest. 

Additional information is available at www.nwnatural.com.