Monday, August 11, will mark National 811 Day, an annual event aimed at reminding the public to call 811 before starting any digging project. The initiative highlights the importance of contacting 811 to prevent damage to underground utility lines and avoid costly repairs.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reported that in its service area this year, there have been 471 incidents where underground gas and electric lines were damaged due to digging. In 59% of those cases, the required call to 811 was not made. For residential customers, 90% of incidents involving line strikes occurred without a prior call to 811.
Damaging an underground utility line can result in repair costs averaging $3,500. PG&E emphasizes that calling 811 is free and brings utility professionals to mark the location of underground lines at homes or job sites.
“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 visits the site to identify and mark locations of underground utilities such as gas, electric, water, telecom, and sewer lines at no cost. This process helps ensure safety for individuals and families during digging activities.
PG&E serves more than 16 million people across Northern and Central California with natural gas and electricity over a service area spanning approximately 70,000 square miles. More information about PG&E can be found on their website: https://www.pge.com/ as well as their news page: https://www.pge.com/news/.
Further details about National 811 Day are available through the original press release: 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
