Sewer cleaning safety

Learn how to prevent natural gas accidents when doing sewer work

Gas lines can intersect with sewer lines, creating "cross bores"

 

To help minimize sidewalk and landscaping damage, new service lines such as gas, electric and cable TV are usually installed by drilling holes horizontally beneath the ground. A "cross bore" is when the new pipe or cable accidentally goes through another underground pipe or cable.

 

Today, when PG&E installs smaller natural gas lines using underground drilling, we utilize the 811 service. This free service notifies utility companies to mark the location of their lines. It helps:

  • make digging safe
  • prevent digging into other lines


The 811 system does not yet include a vast majority of residential sewer lines. To install gas lines safely, we may have to:

  • locate and inspect sewer facilities using our camera equipment, or
  • use more invasive methods, such as trenching and excavation, if necessary.

 

Image of a gas pipe running through a sewer pipe

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