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Outage Reporting: (406) 467-2527 or 800-452-7516

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Call Before You Dig

  • Call Before You Dig (www.callbeforeyoudig.com)

  • 1-800-424-5555 or call 811, Monday to Friday 6 AM – 5 PM (PT)

Call Process Procedure

The following is a description of the questions the operator will ask when a locate is requested.

  1. Caller's daytime telephone number or contract ID number?

  2. Caller's first and last name?

  3. Caller's company name if applicable.

  4. Company mailing address if caller is a registered contractor?

  5. Alternate contact name and telephone number?

  6. Type of work (reason for the excavation i.e., septic system work)?

  7. For whom is the work to be done?

  8. In what county will the work take place?

  9. In what city, or nearest city, will the work be done?

  10. Address or street location of the work?

  11. Nearest intersecting street, highway, or road to the work site?

  12. Where specifically will the digging take place? (front yard, south side, etc.)

  13. Identify overhead power lines in excavation area.

  14. Any other pertinent information or remarks.

  15. The operator will provide the date and time the utilities should have the area identified and marked. If an earlier locate start date is needed, the operator will note the request.

  16. If you know the township, range, section and quarter section this information would be extremely helpful.

Plan to call for your locate two working days before you are planning to do the work.

Underground Locating System

Locating underground facilities is an important aspect of any earth moving project, and it is also the law!  Please take a moment to review the information offered before placing a call to the Call Center.  The web address (www.callbeforeyoudig.com) is a new option for homeowners to consider when submitting information for locates.  This option allows one to take one's time entering the information and is "user friendly" for most all computer users.

The law was established to insure that utility companies would be notified of excavation work being done in their area that might affect their facilities. This notification process allows the utilities to identify the location prior to an excavation project thus reducing the risk of injury and costly repairs. The law also provides protection to the contractor/consumer. Once the call has been recorded, the responsibility is now on the utility to perform the locate within two business days. If the utility fails to perform the locate, the contractor/consumer is not responsible for repair costs if the facilities are damaged unless caused by his negligence. The contractor/consumer is also not responsible if the utility mis-marks the locate request. The utility is allowed 18 inches on either side of the locate mark as their "room for error". Once the locate markings are in place the contractor/consumer is responsible for maintaining the markings.

Two other issues that need to be addressed are contractor liabilities and ELM Locators, Inc.. If a consumer hires a contractor to perform work, the contractor is the liable party responsible for the completeness of the locate request. The contractor may agree to have the consumer place the call to the call center, but the contractor remains the liable party. If no contractor is being hired, the consumer becomes the liable party for the locate request. This is one of the most misinterpreted situations.

The distinction between ELM Locators, Inc. and Utility Underground Location Center (UULC) needs to be clarified.  UULC is the company that receives the locate requests and then notifies the utility company that a locate is needed. ELM Locators is a completely different company that actually goes out into the field and performs the locates. Utility companies contract with ELM to do all, or a portion, of the locate requests for the utility. ELM is hired to locate the utility services only. If a consumer wants his/her underground services located, the consumer must deal directly with the ELM Locator Company or hire the individual utilities to perform the service. The contractor/consumer does not have to pay for having the utilities equipment located, only the underground that is owned by the consumer. This rate varies between utilities but usually it is $50.00 per hour and .50 cents per mile for travel.

If you have questions, please call the SREC office at 467-2526 or 1-800-452-7516.

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Contact Info

Sun River Electric Cooperative
310 1st Avenue South, PO Box 309, Fairfield MT 59436

Office Hours:  Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Phone:  1-406-467-2527

After Hours and Weekend Dispatch:  1-406-467-2526

 

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©2023 Sun River Electric Cooperative. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • Member Services
    • Power of Membership
    • Applying for Service
    • Billing Rates and Fees
    • Pre-Pay Program
    • Capital Credits
    • Ripples Newsletter
    • Call Before You Dig
    • Kids Energy Zone
    • Safety
      • Electrical Safety Checklist
      • Safety Quiz
      • Storm Center
    • Together We Save
    • Dolly Parton Imagination Library
  • Community
    • Scholarships
    • Washington DC Youth Tour
    • Co-op Night at the Voyagers
    • Golf Scramble
    • Operation Round-Up
  • Cooperative
    • About Us
    • Events of Interest
    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors
      • Past Board Members
    • Service Territory
    • Employees
    • SREC History
    • Annual Meeting
    • Cooperative Principles
    • ByLaws
    • Job Opportunities
    • About Touchstone Energy
    • News
    • Other Links
  • Programs
    • Air Source Heat Pumps
    • Energy Star Rebate
    • Ground Source Heat Pump Rebate
    • Efficient Electric Water Heater Rebate
    • Electric Heat Rate
    • Green Energy
    • Net Metering
    • Energy Audit
    • Weatherization
    • Water Heater Timers
  • Former Members