Colonial In The News

August 11 (8/11) Is National Safe Digging Day



With Aug. 11 almost here, Colonial Pipeline hopes this date on the calendar, 811, will serve as a natural reminder for landowners and excavators to call 811 prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. Every hour, more than six damages to buried utilities occur because someone decided to dig without first calling 811. 

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 requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint or both. Homeowners and contractors can also submit a ticket on-line at www.call811.com.

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, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting. 

The depth of utility lines, just like our pipeline, 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 line still exists. 

Visit www.call811.com to learn more, or submit a ticket in your state via the on-line portal.