Entergy Arkansas Promotes Smart and Safe Digging With 811

04/28/2015

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Sally Graham||

Know Where Utility Lines Are Buried Before You Dig

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Warmer springtime temperatures sometimes mean getting outside to tackle those landscape-improvement jobs planned over the winter. Anytime digging is involved, Entergy Arkansas reminds you to get a firm grasp on your phone first and call 811.

April is National Safe Digging Month. The focus is on preventing serious consequences that could occur from digging without knowing what's beneath the surface.

Whether you're planting a tree or shrub, or installing a deck or pool, every job requires a call, even if you've called before for a similar project.

"It's easy for customers to call 811 directly," said Brady Aldy, Entergy Arkansas' vice president of customer service. “By calling 811 or logging onto www.arkonecall.com, customers are linked to an operator who can assist with getting their underground utilities marked at their dig sites," said Aldy.

All utilities must respond within two business days to requests made through calling 811.

The depth of utility lines varies, and there may be multiple utility lines in one common area. Marked lines show the approximate location of underground lines and help prevent undesired consequences such as injury, service disruptions to an entire neighborhood or costly fines and repair costs.

"Safety is our top priority for customers," said Aldy,"whether it's steering clear of overhead power lines or avoiding a potential accident by digging into an underground utility line."

If you suspect utility damage of any kind, leave the area immediately and call your local emergency responders. 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.

Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 700,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, 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 nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.

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