It is August 11 and the perfect day to remind members to contact 811 at least two full working days prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked.

When calling 811 by phone or visiting www.811NOW.com, homeowners and contractors are connected to Kentucky 811, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested dig site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with paint and/or flags.  

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants contacting Kentucky 811 beforehand. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that require five important steps for getting utilities marked – plan the project, contact Kentucky 811, wait for the marks, confirm the marks and finally, dig with care. 

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.

Visit www.kentucky811.org for more information about 811 and safe digging practices.