With Gov. Chris Gregoire’s declaration that April is Safe Digging Month, Puget Sound Energy urges everyone to call 811 to schedule a free utility locator service before beginning any work that involves digging.

In 2011, PSE experienced 850 incidents related to accidental dig-ups of the utility’s 25,000 miles of underground natural gas lines and 300 incidents involving the utility’s 10,000 miles of buried power lines; this is down 5.5 percent from a total of 1,214 combined incidents in 2010. Nearly 90 percent of the damage to PSE’s underground natural gas lines was caused by residents, contractors and other excavators.

PSE advises anyone who may have damaged natural gas pipes or electric systems – including merely scratching or denting the pipe, conduit or plastic covering the wire, or who smell the rotten-egg odor of a natural gas leak, to leave the area immediately. Do not do anything that might create a spark. Move away from the suspected leak or damaged facility and call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or call 911.