Little Rock, Ark. – Spring is here and with warmer temperatures on the way, this is the prime season to start home improvement and landscaping projects. April is National Safe Digging Month and Entergy Arkansas is reminding you to notify Arkansas 811 before digging into your list of spring projects.
National Safe Digging Month serves as a reminder to all people who excavate or dig to call 811 or use the 811 online portal via their website 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.
The focus of National 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 contact first.
“Whether you’re planting a new garden, building a fence, laying foundation for a new home, you must notify 811 to ensure professionals can come out and mark the location of buried lines,” said Adam Effrein, vice president of reliability for Entergy Arkansas. “We want to remind everyone that safe digging practices are vital year-round to avoid service interruptions and personal injuries. Not only is it the safe thing to do, 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.
Arkansas one call is committed to help you stay safe while digging. Calling 811 or using their online portal will ensure customers learn what utilities may be buried beneath the ground, such as natural gas pipelines, electric power lines and other services.
After you notify 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 about safe digging, visit Arkansas811.com.
