“Know what’s below,” sounds like the tagline to a campy horror movie. While it might not be the best advice for dealing with the mole people or the creatures from under the stairs, it’s actually sound advice when beginning summer projects. Every nine minutes, an underground utility is damaged by third-party excavation. If you call 811 three days before beginning a digging project, they will come and mark the underground utility lines for you.
I know I hate it when the power goes out, so this is a simple enough thing to do to avoid a major problem. Striking a single line can cause fines, repair costs, outages, serious injury, and even death. In fact, third-party excavation is the number one cause of serious injury and death involving natural gas pipelines.
Whether performing minor landscaping or major excavation, safeguard yourself from hazards relating to underground utilities by calling 811 three days before any digging project. It’s the law!