Millions of do-it-yourself home improvement and landscaping projects are about to get underway this spring. There’s plenty of inspiration for outdoor spaces. A brick path from Houzz. A parterre in Veranda. A courtyard fountain from the pages of House Beautiful. Or excavating for an addition as seen on This Old House.
One crucial step prior to any digging project is having the location of underground utilities professionally marked by calling 811.
“811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number in the United States,” says Khrysanne Kerr, vice president of communications for Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the organization dedicated to the prevention of damage to underground utility infrastructure and the safety of people.
April is National Safe Digging Month. CGA runs the campaign to raise awareness, reduce utility damage, prevent injuries, minimize service interruptions and protect the environment. Their 1,700-safety-conscious members are individuals, sponsors and 16 stakeholder categories representing the likes of utility companies, emergency services, insurance, locators, excavators, road builders and state regulators, to list a few.
Digging in the domain of one’s own yard is less of an intramural pursuit when the property is serviced from the grid. Pipes, conduit and cable for utilities like gas, electric, communications, water and sewer course through the ground and enter the home.
Accidental contact with power lines is hazardous and can cause serious injury, or worse. There are costly repairs and fines for avoidable damage to subsurface infrastructure, plus the inconvenience of interrupted service to your real estate and the community.
Flag for underground gas line
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CGA studied data collected in 2017 and found, when people chose to dig without calling 811, 80% of the time one of the facilities damaged was a natural gas line.
One statistic of particular concern to CGA this year is that, according to their survey of homeowners in March 2019, 42% who plan to dig say they will not call 811 to learn the location of underground utility lines. The respondents’ inaction puts themselves and others at risk.
According to the survey, the homeowners’ planned projects which involve digging this year include:
- 47% planting a tree or shrub
- 24% building a patio or deck
- 21% building a fence
- 8% installing a mailbox
What can callers expect after they make the free call to 811?
Locator marking underground electric power line
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“Everyone who calls 811 a few days before digging is connected to a local one call notification center that will take the caller’s information and communicate it to local utility companies,” says Kerr.
“Professional locators will visit the dig site within a few days of the request to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with spray paint, flags or both. Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas.”
CGA wants homeowners to know what’s below by calling 811.
Kerr emphasizes, “We encourage everyone to make a phone call instead of a judgment call.”