Why Are There Flags And Paint In My Yard?
- Details
- Created: Monday, 11 September 2017 08:28
- Written by Lareina Taing
At some point in time, you’ve probably noticed small colored flags placed in your yard or around town. Sometimes the ground is also marked with different colors of paint. If you have these flags and paint in your yard, it means that someone in the area is planning to dig, and they have contacted Gopher State One Call (GSOC) to file a locate request. When someone files a locate request with GSOC, we notify the facility operators who have underground utilities in the proposed excavation area. These facility operators dispatch locators to the site who mark the location of utilities with different colored flags and paint that correspond to specific utility types.
Striking an underground pipeline or cable can result in an array of consequences, but did you know that there are non-excavation related underground dangers? One prime example is an odorless, colorless gas named “radon”. “Radon...forms naturally from the decay (breaking down) of radioactive elements, such as uranium, which are found in different amounts in soil and rock throughout the world. Radon gas in the soil and rock can move into the air, underground water, and surface water. Radon is present outdoors and indoors. It is normally found at very low levels in outdoor air and in drinking water from rivers and lakes. It can be found at higher levels in the air in houses and other buildings, as well as in water from underground sources, such as well water.” 1
Minnesota