Updated:  May 2010
Quick Look: Neighborly courtesy and federal law require that you ask for undergroun line locates prior to diggin on your property.  You might uncover water, electricity gas, telecom, internet and/or  television cable.
News Extra:  The State's 811 One Call system makes the process easy. Details below. 

811- Call Before You Dig

In accordance with the Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulation 49 CFR 192.614, Damage Prevention Procedure Program, the Los Alamos County Utilities Department would like to inform you of the one-call system operated by the County of Los Alamos Utilities Department.

 Dig Safely - Los Alamos County Damage Prevention Program-Utility Locates

Dig Safely...It can be a life or death situation!

There are more than 700,000 unintentional digging related accidents each year in America. Knowing where utility lines are buried before each digging project helps protect those digging from injury, expense and penalties.  Always check for utility line locations before digging, by calling 811, the New Mexico One Call hotline.  Via the New Mexico One Call’s notification, the Los Alamos Dept. of Public Utilities will visit your site to mark utility line locations, usually within 48 hours. Nationwide, risky assumptions about the location of underground utility lines, which are buried at various depths below the ground, led to more then one unintentional hit per minute, leading to neighborhood power outages, injurious accidents, property damage and other consequences. Even simple digging jobs can damage utility lines and disrupt vital services to an entire neighborhood, harm those who dig, and result in expensive fines and repair costs. According to a Common Ground Association study, while 46% of Americans are active diggers who have done or plan to do a digging project at home, only 33% of “Do It Yourselfers” plan on calling before they dig, which means they are taking a huge risk each time their shovel disturbs the dirt.  Safe digging is no accident: always call 811 before you dig.  Save this information after it has been read by placing or attaching it in a visible location. 
For additional safety information, contact:

The Dept. of Public Utilities of Los Alamos County 
Dial 311 or 662-8333 or visit www.losalamosnm.us