CARSON CITY - April marks the sixth annual National Safe Digging Month, reminding Nevada residents to call 811 two working days before any digging project.
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada supports the efforts of the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance, sponsors of National Safe Digging Month in the Silver State.
When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to the local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, paint or both. A utility line is damaged by digging once every eight minutes nationwide, and one-third of these incidents are caused by failure of the professional excavator or homeowner to call 811 before beginning their digging project.
"April is the traditional start of the digging season, so we strongly encourage individuals and companies to call 811 before they begin digging," said Ken Jones, PUCN gas pipeline engineer. "By calling 811 to have the underground utility lines in their area marked, homeowners and professionals are making an important decision that can help keep them and their communities safe and connected."
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree or garden are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting.
The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.
For information about safe digging procedures, visit www.call811.com.[[In-content Ad]]
