Colonial Pipeline Supports National ​“811” Day

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Colonial Pipeline has finished painting another set of its giant storage tanks with the ​“811 – Call Before You Dig” emblem as part of its support of national efforts to prevent damage to underground utilities. 

The latest set of tanks is located at Colonial’s Pelham, Ala., facility, which is located next to Interstate 65 south of Birmingham. Tanks at Colonial’s largest tank farms, in Greensboro, N.C., and Atlanta, Ga., were previously painted with the ​“811” message. 

The large white petroleum storage tanks provide a big canvas for reminding homeowners, farmers and contractors – even local governments – to call the national toll-free number before beginning a digging or excavation project. 

Colonial’s latest paint job was completed in time for National 811 Day, a date set aside by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) to promote awareness of underground utilities through the use of the nationwide ​“811” call-in number for individuals, companies and governments preparing to dig. 

“We work on improving our safety record every day,” said Tim Felt, Colonial’s president and CEO, who also serves as board chairman of the Common Ground Alliance. ​“Unauthorized or improper digging is a major cause of damage to pipelines, so it’s only natural Colonial would support this essential safety measure.” 

Colonial, whose pipeline extends from Houston to the New York harbor, receives nearly 1,000 alerts each day as a result of people calling ​“811” before they dig. Most of these are dealt with electronically or by phone, but each day approximately 150 require an in-person inspection of the worksite. 

The CGA has promoted the ​“811” number since it was approved in 2007 to eliminate the confusion of multiple call-before-you-dig numbers being used across the country. Now there’s an easy-to-remember number to have crews mark a worksite for underground lines prior to digging. 

The Common Ground Alliance is a national association created to prevent damage to underground utility infrastructure and ensure public safety and environmental protection. More information is available at www.commongroundalliance.com.

Colonial, founded in 1962, delivers refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, home heating oil and fuels for the U.S. military, to customers and markets throughout the Southern and Eastern United States. For more information visit www.colpipe.com.