Beneath the streets you drive every day, there is a hidden maze of gas, electric, water and fiber lines lurking. Most people never think about it, but for Theo Romero, it’s constantly on his mind.

Romero is a utility locate technician for UtiliQuest. His job is to find buried utility lines and mark them before projects break ground — work that starts with a free call to 811.

“You never know what you’re going to get,” Romero said. “It could be as small as planting some new trees or as large as trenching to install a storm drain. Either way, they need to call us first.”

Administered by DigAlert in Southern California, calling 811 is a a free, required notification step every homeowner and contractor should make at least two working days before digging.

DigAlert will then generate a ticket that will get assigned to a locator like Romero with UtiliQuest, who will go to the site with paint and flags, ready to mark underground utilities — electric, power, water, gas and sewer — so no one digs blind.

One of his recent jobs sent him to Pomona, where the construction was more than a backyard home improvement project.

“The dig here will impact the entire community,” said Romero. “There is going to be a new gas line installed which will support and connect the new homes currently under construction.”

The first thing his crew looks for is white — the color of paint or flags a homeowner or contractor uses to let Romero’s crew know where they plan to dig.

“White marks are our bread and butter,” Romero said. “They show us exactly where the construction will take place, so we know the area to focus on.”

From there, GPS maps show nearby structures and roughly where each line runs, along with when it was installed. But maps can be outdated or incorrect.

“We need to know we’re in the right spot,” said Romero. “Sometimes the lines are not exactly where our maps say they will be, so we need to update that information”

When that happens, the crew connects specialized equipment to the line, traces the signal and paints or plants flags in the ground, turning what’s invisible below ground into something anyone can see.

When someone skips the call to 811, it can lead to underground utility damage and serious consequences, including power outages, costly repairs, fines and safety hazards like explosions and fatal injuries. Even a small nick of a line can be disastrous. If it happens, stop digging immediately and call 811 so a professional can inspect the line before a minor problem becomes a major one.

“Everyone should be using 811 before starting a project,” said Romero. “If you don’t, your whole project could be delayed for months, or worse, you could put yourself and your community at serious risk. There’s a whole team ready to help, just give us a call.”