Know what’s Below – Call 811 Before Digging

04/27/2022

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – National Safe Digging Month serves as a reminder to all people who excavate or dig to call 811 at least two full business days before digging to have the approximate location of their utility lines marked. This process helps prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient utility outages. Since April is National Safe Digging Month, Entergy Texas reminds everyone to call 811 before digging into their list of Spring projects.

The focus of Safe Digging Month is on preventing serious consequences that could occur from digging without knowing what’s below the surface – not only now but year-round. 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.

“Spring is a popular time to start home improvement and landscaping projects, so it’s the right time to remind people of the importance of safe digging practices,” said Stuart Barrett, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “Everyone – homeowners, business owners and contractors – should call 811 to avoid the chance of striking underground utility lines.”

The depth of underground utility lines varies and there may be multiple utility lines in one common area. The risk of striking underground utility lines exists even when digging only a few inches.

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

Texas has its own 811 call center that can help people stay safe while digging. Call center representatives can advise on how to submit requests to learn what utilities may be buried beneath the ground, such as natural gas pipelines, electric power lines and other services.

After individuals call 811, professional locators mark the approximate locations of underground lines at the requested digging site with flags, paint or both. Markings show the location of underground lines and help prevent undesired consequences such as injury, service disruptions, or costly fines and repair costs.

If you suspect utility damage of any kind, leave the area immediately and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749), the local gas supplier if you suspect a gas leak or call 911.

For more information, visit texas811.org.

About Entergy Texas

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 486,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas 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.