News Release > August 11 Serves as Reminder to Call Before You Dig

August 11 Serves as Reminder to Call Before You Dig

08/10/2020

Planning any yard work this summer? Make sure to Call Before you Dig.

Aug. 11 serves as a reminder for customers to call 811 before starting any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. With more people at home during pandemic restrictions, and summer serving as a peak time to work on home improvement projects, it’s more important now than ever before that residents remember to dig safely.

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to Louisiana 811, which notifies Entergy of their intent to dig. Professional locators then arrive at the digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint or both.

Every few minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone began digging without first contacting 811. Striking a single line or pipe can cause injury, repair costs, inconvenient outages and fines. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants contacting 811 by phone or online. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are just some examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting.

“On Aug. 11 and throughout the year, we remind homeowners and professional contractors to use the free 811 service before digging to reduce the risk of striking an underground utility line,” said Tad Patella, director of Entergy’s gas distribution business. “Especially at a time when we’re relying on important utilities to connect us and keep us safe at home, calling 811 or visiting louisiana811.com is crucial to identifying which utilities are buried in your area so that you dig safely.”

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 or digging in a location that’s previously been marked, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.

Visit www.call811.com or www.Louisiana811.com for more information about 811 and safe digging practices.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to more than 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. It has operations in southern, central and northern Louisiana. The company is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 200,000 customers and natural gas to more than 108,000 customers. Entergy New Orleans, LLC is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

-30-

entergyneworleans.com
facebook.com/EntergyNOLA
Twitter: @EntergyNOLA 

entergylouisiana.com
facebook.com/EntergyLA
Twitter: @EntergyLA