Landowners

Keeping You Safe and Informed

Keeping in touch with you is very important to us. That’s why we maintain contact with those neighbors who live near our pipelines and facilities—including communities, landowners, Indigenous and Native American communities, excavators and emergency responders—on an ongoing basis. It’s an opportunity to share important information, hear about your experiences, respond to your questions and update you on our safety, prevention and maintenance programs.

As a neighbor, you also make an important contribution to the team. It’s important for all neighbors along our pipeline rights-of-way to:

Know how to identify where pipelines may be located near you
Know how to recognize a potential pipeline leak
Know what to do in a pipeline emergency situation
Know how and when to make a locate request, and how to excavate safely near pipelines
Know the contact information for the Enbridge land representative in your region, as well as our Public Awareness Program; and
Know how to report suspicious activity

By staying aware, following safety precautions while working near pipelines, and keeping in touch with us about any concerns or issues, you can help prevent incidents and minimize their impacts.

Landowner Resources

Information for landowners can be found in the following brochures.

Safe Digging and Damage Prevention

Before digging around or near pipelines, it is very important to contact your area’s one-call center by dialing 811.

Sabal Trail maintains a Damage Prevention Program in accordance with state and federal guidelines. The purpose of this program is to prevent damage to our pipeline facilities from excavation activities such as digging, trenching, blasting, boring, tunneling or backfilling.

Call or Click Before You Dig

For your safety and the safety of others, always have underground utilities located by calling 811, the national “Call Before You Dig” number, prior to every excavation made in the US. Making this call will result in a damage-free excavation 99 percent of the time, according to industry studies.

811 is a free, nationwide number designed to keep you safe when digging or excavating. Calling 811 is a simple process and is always the safest option anytime you are moving dirt. You can visit call811.com to find out if online locate requests can be made for the state where you will be working.

If you plan to dig or perform any type of excavation near the pipeline right of way, be sure to dial 811 at least three business days before you begin. After you call, a company representative will identify and clearly mark the location of our pipeline at no cost to you if it is in the vicinity of your planned excavation work.

If you should happen to accidentally strike the pipeline, it is important that you contact the pipeline operator immediately. Even seemingly minor damage, such as a dent or chipped pipeline coating, could result in a future leak if not promptly repaired.

Safe Digging in Four Simple Steps

Learn how to call or click before you dig — and what happens when you do.

Sabal Trail’s Operations personnel are your primary point of contact for operation and maintenance of our pipeline facilities.

For general operations questions about your property, please call 1-407-390-1075.

If you suspect a pipeline emergency, please find a safe place to call 911, and then call Sabal Trail’s toll-free, 24-hour emergency number: 1-888-568-7269.

Frequently Asked Questions for Landowners

What is a natural gas transmission pipeline?

Transmission pipelines deliver natural gas to local distribution companies, which distribute the product through their regional or municipal networks to homes and businesses for heat and energy. They also deliver natural gas directly to large industrial end-users, including electric generating facilities.

By definition, an interstate transmission pipeline crosses one or more state boundaries. The U.S. Department of Transportation exclusively governs the safety standards for the operation of an interstate transmission pipeline, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is tasked with overseeing the permitting and construction approvals of anew interstate natural gas pipeline.

Read more about natural gas transmission pipelines.

What is a compressor station?

Compressor stations are used to move natural gas through pipelines. They are above-ground facilities located generally every 40 to 100 miles along a pipeline. Compressor stations use natural gas or electricity to power compressors to safely pressurize the natural gas, which helps the natural gas flow efficiently for safe and reliable service.

Look inside a compressor station.

What are the measures in place to help ensure the safety of a compressor station and the people and resources in its vicinity?

Compressor stations integrate a variety of safety systems and practices to protect the public and station employees and properties. For example, every station has an emergency shutdown system that stops the compressor units and isolates and vents the compressor station gas piping. Regulations require that compressor stations periodically test or perform maintenance on the emergency shutdown system to ensure reliability. During the shutdown, natural gas in the pipeline will be able to bypass the station.

All compressor stations are monitored – and some are even controlled remotely – by highly-trained personnel at a centralized gas control center. Experienced personnel operate and maintain the station equipment and pipelines.

Learn more about compressor stations and emergency shutdowns.

How do you keep in touch with emergency response groups in the regions where you operate your pipelines?

We are committed to maintaining robust emergency response plans near all our pipelines and facilities. We update these plans regularly, making them available to local first responders along our pipeline rights-of-way. We also meet regularly with those first responders—including police, fire, and EMS—to share our emergency response procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of external responders who would support Sabal Trail in the event of an incident.

How deep are pipelines placed underground?

PHMSA regulates natural gas pipeline safety, including the depth at which the pipeline must be placed. In normal soil conditions, the minimum required is three feet between the top of the pipeline and the land surface. Additional cover is provided at road and waterbody crossings. Where agricultural practices or other issues warrant additional cover, the pipeline will be placed deeper than three feet. Depth specifications will be incorporated into the right-of-way agreement.

How do I know if there is a pipeline near my home, workplace or community?

You can recognize the approximate location of a pipeline by identifying the pipeline markers. Markers should never be used as a reference for the exact location of a pipeline. All pipeline markers provide the name of the pipeline operator, product being transported and a telephone number for reporting pipeline emergencies.

The general location of transmission pipelines and contact information for the pipeline operators is available through the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS). Do not rely on the National Pipeline Mapping System or pipeline markers when planning to dig. A call to 811, the national “Call Before You Dig” telephone number, is necessary to properly locate pipelines and other buried utilities before excavation.

What do I do when I smell gas?

Natural gas may smell similar to rotten eggs. If you suspect a natural gas leak, leave the area immediately. From a safe distance, call our 24/7 emergency number at 1-888-568-7269.

What is a right-of-way?

A pipeline right-of-way (ROW) is a strip of land of varying widths that may contain one or more pipelines. Pipeline ROW can be identified by the pipeline markers—located at roads, railways, and other intervals along the ROW—which include the name of the operator, emergency contact information, and a general description of the product in the pipeline.

Learn more here.

What are the markers along the right-of-way?

We place markers and signs along pipeline rights-of-way to inform the public of the presence of Sabal Trail’s natural gas pipelines. The markers are placed at street and road crossings, railroad crossings and other significantly visible points along the right-of-way to reduce the possibility of damage to or interference with the pipeline. Markers and signs include our company name and the phone number to call in the event of an emergency, abnormal condition or suspicious activity.

Why does Sabal Trail maintain clear rights-of-way?

Sabal Trail maintains clear rights-of-way to ensure that its operations remain as safe as possible to protect landowners, the public and the pipeline facilities. Sabal Trail must have unrestricted entry and access to all of its facilities at all times for regular maintenance or during emergency situations. A clear right-of-way provides easy identification and monitoring of pipeline facilities, which is imperative in preventing third-party damage. Trees and large shrubs obstruct the view for foot patrols and aerial inspections, which are routine procedures for maintenance. Tree roots also create a danger to the coating that protects the pipeline from corrosion.

What’s an encroachment?

An encroachment is anything that’s placed within the easement that may interfere with Sabal Trail's ability to use the easement. In most cases, the property owner may continue activities that do not pose a problem to the long-term integrity of the pipeline. Examples of encroachments that interfere with our use of the easement and are not allowed include buildings, houses, garages, excess vegetation, mobile homes, trailers, sheds, trees, poles, decks, patios, swimming pools or other structures that obstruct or impede access to or along the ROW. Utilities, driveways, streets, roads, fences and approved parking lots generally may be placed across the pipeline easement provided they meet certain criteria required to protect the pipeline. Our ROW agents can provide landowners with that criteria—and please involve our agents early on if you are planning improvements near or across our pipelines to find out what’s required.

What activities are considered “excavation”?

Excavation activities include the following:

Planting trees or shrubs, installing fence posts and building decks
Constructing sidewalks, steps, roads or railways, parking lots, driveways, ditches, berms, overhead or underground utilities and other facilities
Deep tilling, excavating, ditching, drilling, auguring, installing drain tile and stockpiling materials
Stripping topsoil, soil ripping, land leveling, peat removal, clearing and grading
Operating non-agricultural heavy vehicles or equipment on or across the right-of-way where no roadway exists

How does the 811 “Call or Click Before You Dig” process work?

First, make the call. Always call 811, the national “Call Before You Dig” phone number, 2-3 business days before the start of excavation. When you call 811, the one call center will ask for information to help line locators find the proposed excavation site and properly mark it. You should have this information ready when you call. Depending on your location, this may include:

The county or parish, and city, township or village where the work is planned
Your work site’s street address, the road on which it is located and the nearest intersection
Driving directions or GPS coordinates
The type of work you will be doing
Whether you have white-lined or pre-marked the excavation area
A description of the area where underground utilities need to be marked
The date and time when excavation will begin

Professional locators will be sent to the proposed excavation site within 2-3 business days to mark the approximate locations of pipelines and other underground utilities with spray paint, flags or both so you can safely work around them. This is a free service paid for by utility companies to protect you and those around you.

Once the lines are marked, respect the marks and excavate carefully around them. Be sure to adhere to any instructions or policies Sabal Trail or other utility company representatives may share with you.

Why should I call 811?

Striking a pipeline could cause injuries, damage property, disrupt vital services to an entire area and lead to expensive fines and repair costs. There is always a risk of striking a pipeline or other utility, even if you think you know what might be present in the area. The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces.

What federal, state/provincial, or local agencies regulate the pipelines?

Natural gas pipelines are rigorously regulated and monitored by federal and state governments, with the process largely regulated by two federal agencies.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency that is responsible for the economic regulation of the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil, and is the federal agency most responsible for approving the construction of interstate natural gas pipelines.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is responsible for the regulation of interstate natural gas transmission pipeline safety. These regulations cover all phases of a pipeline’s lifecycle, including materials, design, construction, operations, maintenance, integrity management and abandonment.

Learn more about natural gas pipeline regulations and how they keep you safe.

How does Sabal Trail Transmission ensure pipelines operate safely?

Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority. Our team devotes hundreds of thousands of hours every year to keeping our systems running smoothly and without incident. We invest heavily in safety measures including:

Inspection and preventative maintenance programs
Around-the-clock monitoring of pipelines and facilities
Emergency response training and drills for employees and local emergency responders
Pressure tests on new and existing pipelines
Aerial and ground patrols along the pipeline right-of-way
Automatic shut-off and remote-control valves
High-quality pipeline material and protective coating

Learn more about how we keep you safe through the operation of our pipelines and assets.