Monday, August 11, is being recognized as National 811 Day to highlight the importance of calling 811 before starting any digging project. The initiative aims to remind both property owners and contractors that contacting 811 can help prevent accidents and avoid costly repairs caused by damaging underground utility lines.
According to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), there have been 471 incidents so far this year in its service area where underground gas and electric lines were damaged due to digging. In 59% of these cases, the individuals did not call 811 beforehand. Among residential customers, the rate of not calling 811 before striking a line while digging is even higher at 90%.
Making a free call to 811 connects callers with utility professionals who will visit the site and mark the location of underground lines at no cost. Damaging an underground line during a digging project can result in repair costs averaging $3,500.
“By making a fast and free call to 811, utility professionals will come to your home or job site and mark the location of underground lines so that you can dig safely and avoid expensive repairs. Know what’s below before you start any size digging project, whether you are planting, landscaping, or doing fence work and call 811 two days before you dig,” said PG&E Damage Prevention Director Mitch Smith.
When someone calls 811, a professional locator marks all types of underground utility lines—gas, electric, water, telecom, and sewer—free of charge. This helps ensure safety for those performing the work as well as maintaining essential services for families.
PG&E notes that warmer weather months often see more digging projects along with an increase in incidents involving unmarked underground lines. The company serves over 16 million people across Northern and Central California through its combined natural gas and electric operations. More information about PG&E is available on their website at https://www.pge.com/ or via their news page at https://www.pge.com/news.
The original press release can be found at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/august-11-is-national-811-daya-reminder-to-call-811-before-any-digging-project-large-or-small-302525071.html
