By Gerald Bauman

Six natural gas lines hit in one day across Saskatchewan

Jun 5, 2013 | 11:38 AM

The message can't be emphasized enough, call before you dig.

Case in point (or we should say cases), there were six natural gas line hits in the province Tuesday. Two in Saskatoon, two in Regina, one in Assiniboia and one in Buffalo Pound.

Six people could have died, but luckily no one was hurt, said Dave Burdeniuk, director of media relations with SaskEnergy.

“In five of those cases, it was someone who hadn't called for a line locate and in one case, they had called, but they actually weren't digging safely and still hit a line that was marked,” Burdeniuk said.

He said the rush is on to get homes and businesses built as quickly as possible, or by homeowners to get all the yard work done.

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“Contractors are looking ahead to the fall and saying, 'We've got to get this work done before the snow returns' and in a lot of cases, people are hurrying. (Calling before you dig) is the one step they're forgetting and they're really putting themselves at risk.”

There are record-setting requests for line locates and because of a late spring, everyone from contractors to homeowners want it done now, said Burdeniuk. He added when a line is hit, crews have to be taken off another job to respond to an emergency.

“They've got to respond to that emergency, so that sets that project back then. So, that developer or that business may have to wait for their opening or for someone to take possession of a home,” he said.

Sask First Call's number which Burdeniuk said people should phone before they start digging is 1-866-828-4888.

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