Don’t let a digging accident diminish environmental efforts
[Greensboro, NC] (April 18, 2016) – North Carolina 811 recognizes that many people will be planting trees for Earth Day and Arbor Day projects, so it is important to remember to call 811 at least three full working days ahead of time to have underground utility lines marked before digging begins.
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Volunteers are responsible for having lines marked, regardless of whether they are planting a sapling or a full-grown tree.
Everyone who calls 811 is connected to North Carolina 811, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of the caller’s intent to dig. Professional locators are sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags or spray paint. Once lines have been properly marked, digging can begin around the marked lines. The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surface. Every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
“With the possibility of utility lines only a few inches from the surface, this simple call to 811 will help volunteers, contractors and do-it-yourself diggers avoid striking an underground utility line,” said Louis Panzer, Executive Director of North Carolina 811.
Visit www.nc811.org for more information about 811 and the call-before-you-dig process.
Media Contact:
Ann Rushing
NC811 News 