Tried air spading around a struggling oak and found a buried gas line

I had this big red oak that's been looking rough for two years now. Yellow leaves, dieback. Thought it was root rot or compaction. Rented an air spade last weekend and started exposing the root flare. About 6 inches down I hit a gas line! Someone in the 80s must have buried it right across the major roots. No wonder the tree was stressed. I called the gas company and they came out and rerouted it for free. Now I'm wondering how many other trees in older neighborhoods have hidden utility lines messing with their roots. Anyone else run into something like that with air spading?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekp7010d ago

@carter.jennifer makes a good point about the liability thing, but I think the bigger issue is how our infrastructure just gets buried wherever without thinking about what's already growing there. It's like we build things for a snapshot in time and then act surprised when a tree grows for 40 years and runs into problems. Kinda makes you wonder what other dumb shortcuts from the past are quietly causing trouble underground.

carter.jennifer11d ago

Oh boy, I gotta push back a little on that "free" comment. The gas company didn't reroute that line out of the kindness of their hearts. They did it because they legally had to. If you dug up their line and damaged it or made it unsafe, they can actually bill you for the repair. So you got lucky they didn't charge you for the work. I've talked to people who hit utility lines and ended up with a bill for a few hundred bucks or more, depending on how deep the fix goes. You should always call 811 before you dig, even with an air spade, because these companies don't mess around with liability. Good thing you found it when you did though.