811 Day
Today marks National 811 Day and Summit Natural Gas hopes that the 8/11 date on the calendar will serve as a natural reminder for Missouri residents and contractors to call 811 to have underground utility lines marked before you start a project. Every few minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to Missouri One Call System, the free local one-call center, which notifies utility companies of their intent to dig.
Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both.
Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants contacting 811 by phone or online. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree, and laying a patio are just some examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting. The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects, and uneven surfaces. Regardless of the depth, you are digging, the risk of hitting an underground utility line still exists.