Underground Utility Lines in Montana Are Hit More Than 500 Times a Year: Damage Costs About $50 Million Annually
Damage to buried power, water, internet and natural gas lines in Montana costs approximately $50 million every year and amounts to more than 500 incidents annually, according to a new report from the Common Ground Alliance, a nonprofit trade group working to prevent damage to underground utilities, Montana Public Radio reported on October 22. The consequences of a strike can range from a home internet outage to a building evacuation to catastrophic loss of life.
CGA President and CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle said homeowners cause some mistakes, but excavators are responsible for most major damage — though that does not necessarily mean it is their fault, since they may have properly submitted a locate request and done everything by the book, only to run into inaccurate or nonexistent underground utility mapping. She called on state and federal utility regulators to close enforcement gaps, saying the goal is not more regulation but effective regulation, and that damages fall when deterrent laws and penalties are in place.
The report comes as construction accelerates across Montana, from natural resource and energy development to airport and transportation corridor improvements. Homeowners and contractors are reminded to contact Montana 811 before any digging project, no matter how minor, to have buried utility lines located and marked. (GSM, based on Montana Public Radio reporting)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0，作者 Mds08011；资料图：工作人员在街面标示地下管线位置，非蒙大拿州实拍 / Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, by Mds08011; file photo of a utility locator marking underground lines on a street, not taken in Montana
