FortisBC is reminding British Columbians to work safely around natural gas lines and underground electrical cables.
British Columbia averages more than three natural gas line hits per day and FortisBC is responds to many of these calls a year, 90 per cent of which are 90 preventable.
In 2017, there were more than 1,200 incidents of natural gas line damages. Sixty per cent were related to work done by contractors, 30 per cent were related to work done by homeowners, three percent to municipal activity, and the rest were caused by other utilities, motor vehicle accidents hitting meters or other events.
“When a natural gas line is damaged, it can have serious consequences and interrupt service,” Ian Turnbull from FortisBC said.
FortisBC seeks to recover costs of the repairs from any person or organization that damages it underground utilities. Annual repair costs can range between $1.5 to $2 million.
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