“Ensuring community safety is a top priority for the City of Palo Alto. It's everyone’s responsibility and we're grateful our customers and employees work together to keep us all safe." - Valerie Fong, Utilities Director
Prepare yourself and learn safe practices with our Gas Safety brochure. Available in Spanish and Mandarin.
Click here for details on the 2015 walking gas survey, beginning June 1.
Call 811 before you dig! Avoid buried utilities by calling the Underground Service Alert two working days prior to any excavation in your yard or home.
Right tree right place Ensure your trees safely co-exist with both overhead powerlines and underground utilities. A tree in the wrong place can damage utility service lines.
See a downed power line? Call the Utilities Control Center (UCC) at (650) 496-6914 so that Utilities crews can address it. If the line is putting people in danger, call 911 immediately.
Planned disruptions: Ongoing maintenance of the system sometimes requires water service to be shut off to a specific area for brief periods. You will get notices about these planned disruptions.
Avoid Fog* Clog (*Fats, Oil & Grease)-Avoid the hassle, expense and public health hazard of a sewer back-up. Do not put trash (fats, grease, sanitary wipes, rags etc.) down toilets and sinks. Maintain your private sewer lines.
Gas-Sewer Crossbore Inspection Program Call us BEFORE clearing or repairing a blocked home or business sewer line, so we can verify conditions are safe.
July 2013: CPAU wins National Safety Award for Ongoing Gas Safety Program. We are always working on pipeline maintenance and repair, 24/7 customer service and educational outreach for all customers. Call the City’s dispatch center at (650) 329-2579 if you have questions or suggestions.
What are those colored markings on the street?When anyone calls "811"---including us!---locators come out and mark where underground utilities are so they won't be hit during excavations.
Click here to be redirected to our landing page for allgas, water, and electric projects.
Keep your meters accessible! Please don't turn them off yourself, unless you smell gas during an emergency (like an earthquake). It is never safe to turn your meters back on - Meters should only be handled by trained utility staff. If you have a concern, call the City Utilities at (650) 329-2579, 24 hours a day.
Contact us for more resources or to plan a visit with your school or community group. Send us an email at UtilitiesCommunications@cityofpaloalto.org or call (650) 329-2479.
