GRAND VALLEY POWER REMINDS LOCAL RESIDENTS TO CALL 811 BEFORE DIGGING
APRIL IS NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH
GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.– (April 2, 2019) --- April is National Safe Digging Month in Colorado and across the nation. Grand Valley Power recognizes that many people will be starting planting projects soon, so it is important to remember to call 811 at least three days ahead of time to have underground utility lines marked before digging begins. Even simple gardening and landscaping, such as planting a shrub require homeowners to contact 811, by either calling 811 or submitting a request through Ticket Express through colorado811.org.
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Homeowners or contractors are responsible for having lines marked, regardless of whether they are installing a mailbox or a full-grown tree.
Anyone who calls 811 is connected to the Colorado 811 office, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of the caller’s intent to dig. Professional locators are sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags or spray paint. Once lines have been properly marked, digging can begin around the marked lines. The location of the flags marking the underground lines are valid for 30 days.
The depth of utility lines can vary for several reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surface. Every nine minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
“Essential infrastructure needed for utility services such as electric power lines, gas, water and telecommunications, can be within a few feet of the surface. This simple call to 811 will help volunteers, contractors and homeowners avoid striking any underground utility lines and prevent accidents or costly damages,” said Tom Walch, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Valley Power.
Visit www.colorado811.org for more state information about 811 and the call-before-you-dig process.
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