As the summer construction season gets into full swing, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Washington state's oldest and largest utility, wants homeowners, landscapers and excavators to be aware of the new nationwide easy-to-remember 811 ?Call Before You Dig? phone number for getting underground utility lines marked, free of charge.

?Knowing where utility lines are located prior to digging or excavating is a critical safety step,? said Sue McLain, senior vice president-Operations for PSE. ?Dig-ups are the number one cause of leaks on our natural gas system. During the summer months, we typically see an increase in cuts to our natural gas lines and buried power cable, which can put people and property at risk and disrupt energy service.?

Washington state law requires anyone digging at a depth of 12 inches or more to call 811 to contact the Utilities Underground Location Center at least two business days prior to digging. A representative will come out to mark the location of underground utilities, such as natural gas pipes (yellow marking), electrical cables (red), water (blue) and sewer (green) lines and television and telephone cables (orange).

For more information, call 811 or visit www.callbeforeyoudig.com.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state's oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service territory stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) serves more than 1 million electric customers and 718,000 natural gas customers. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD), meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. For more information, visit PSE.com.

Puget Sound Energy
Martha Monfried, 888-831-7250