Planning yard work? Always call 811 before you dig

Friday, April 12, 2013 Posted by Brian Phillips
With the snow melted and the ground ready for planting, eager homeowners like you are gearing up to start those outdoor digging projects.

Before you reach for that shovel to start digging, remember to call 811 to ensure that your buried utility lines are marked.

April is National Safe Digging Month, and we want to remind customers that our land is made up of a complex underground infrastructure of pipelines, wires and cables.

Striking an underground utility line while digging can cause harm to you or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, and potentially result in fines and repair costs.

A call must be placed to 811 before every digging project, from simple landscaping projects like planting trees or shrubs, to building a deck or installing a rural mailbox.

Every eight minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811. 

Here’s how it works:

-- One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for  to notify all appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig.

-- Call at least two business days prior to digging to ensure enough time for utility lines to be properly marked.

-- When you call 811, a representative will ask for the location and description of your digging project.

-- The representative will notify affected utility companies, who will then send a professional locator to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines.

-- Once lines have been properly marked, roll up those sleeves and carefully dig around the marked areas.

More on natural gas safety:

Your safety is our top priority. Visit our website for more information on natural gas safety, and check out this handy guide below to help you and the family stay safe.

  





  
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