Know what’s below – call 811 before digging

04/08/2022

Stay safe by knowing where underground utility lines are located

JACKSON, Miss. – 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 Mississippi is reminding you to call 811 before digging into your 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 Robbin Jeter, Entergy Mississippi vice president of distribution operations. “Everyone – homeowners, business owners and contractors – should call 811 to avoid the chance of striking underground utility lines. Not only is it the safe thing to do, but it’s also the law.”

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; 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.

Mississippi has its own 811 call center that can help you stay safe while digging. Call center representatives can advise you 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 you make the call to 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) 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 ms811.org.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 456,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi 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.