Who marks the wire I ran to my shed in Fredericton?

The wire you ran to your shed is a private line, and it is yours to find and mark. NB Power says it only checks for its own underground power lines and that everything else, including wires you ran to a pool, garage or shed, is the owner's to have checked.

Before any digging near that shed, there are three steps. Submit an Info-Excavation request through Click Before You Dig at least three working days ahead, and the locate is valid until the end date written on your request. NB Power runs its own separate underground locate service for NB Power-owned power lines only; request that one at least five business days before digging, and it is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form. Neither of those two requests will find your shed wire, your neighbour's private drainage, or any other line a past or present owner put in the ground. Those are yours to trace and mark before the machine moves.

A few things worth knowing for a Fredericton dig:

• NB Power notes its lines can be buried as little as one foot underground, so even a shallow trench can reach them.
• If any digging is planned within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, a provincial Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit is required before work starts; that distance is measured horizontally from the top of the bank on the ground, not from a map.
• For work that involves a building permit in Fredericton, the City's Engineering Division reviews lot grading and servicing at the permit stage, so check with the City early if this dig is part of a larger project.
• We found no provincial excavation-contractor licence, but do ask any contractor you hire for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate before work begins.

Before the machine arrives, book your Info-Excavation request and your separate NB Power locate, then walk the yard yourself and mark every private line, pipe and cable you know about, including that shed wire.