News Release > Avoid damaging buried utility lines by calling 811

Avoid damaging buried utility lines by calling 811

08/11/2022

NEW ORLEANS – August 11 serves as a reminder for residents to call 811, a minimum of, two business days prior to any digging project, so that the approximate location of underground utility lines can be identified and marked. This process is the best way to prevent injuries to the public and contractors on excavation projects. It also eliminates any potential property damages, and unnecessary utility outages due to striking an underground facility.

Regardless of what you plan to do, how deep you plan to dig or even if you’ve called before for a similar project, every job requires a call first. The depth of underground utility lines can vary, and the risk of striking a line exists even when digging only a few inches.

“Safety is the number one priority,” said John Hawkins, Entergy’s vice president of reliability in Louisiana. “Whether you’re installing a mailbox at your home, gardening or building a fence, it is paramount that you call 811 before any project. Not only is it the safe thing to do, but it’s also the law. “There are a great deal of utility lines out of sight and out of mind because they run underground. Just remembering to make that call can help keep you, your neighbors, and your community safe.”

Louisiana has its own 811 call center that can help you stay safe while digging. Call center operators will connect you with local utility operators who will come out and safely mark the approximate location of buried natural gas, electrical, telecommunications, water and sewer lines that may be around the vicinity where you plan to dig.

In accordance with 811 color codes, electric power lines and lighting cables are identified by the color red; gas, oil and steam lines are be identified by the color yellow; and telecommunication, alarm and signal lines are identified by the color orange. If digging activity comes within 18 inches of a utility line or pipeline, exercise extreme caution.

If you suspect utility damage of any kind, leave the area immediately and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) or call 911. A gas leak could be occurring if you smell the distinctive natural gas odor, hear a hissing or whistling sound near a gas appliance or see dead vegetation or bubbles near a gas line.

For more information, visit Louisiana 8-1-1.

Remember what you cannot see can hurt you

• Call before you dig. It is important to know what is underground before you begin any project that requires digging. Hitting an electric line can shock or kill you and cause power outages. When you call 811, the local one-call utility locator service, they will mark the location of underground utilities so you can carry on with digging safely.

About Entergy New Orleans

Entergy New Orleans, LLC provides electricity to more than 207,000 customers and natural gas to more than 108,000 customers in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Entergy New Orleans is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

About Entergy Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.