It’s National 811 Day: Call Before You Dig
Our friend Kay Coomes, from Atmos Energy, called into The CB Radio Show this morning to share the big news. This is National 811 Day and you are being reminded to call before you dig!
This is SO important and there a variety of reasons why.
Did you know that, before you dig, it is required by law to call 811 to have all buried utility lines located and marked?
According to Kay, since 2008, Atmos Energy has seen a 36 percent increase in requests by the public to have underground natural gas lines marked. Once underground utility lines are marked, it is important to take special care around all line markings by digging by hand.
Every time the excavating public calls 811 before digging, the chance of hitting an underground utility line decreases to 99.9 percent. When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to their local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the digging site to mark the locations of underground utility-owned lines with flags and spray paint, free of charge.
Last year, Atmos Energy located 1.5 million underground natural gas lines in 2015. So, calling 811 works!
All excavators are asked to call 811 at least two business days before digging on public or private property. That will give the utility enough time to visit your property and mark the lines.
For more information, visit atmosenergy.com/811 or call811.org.
Remember, call before you dig!