Call Before You Dig: North Carolina 811 reminds property owners of free service

North Carolina 811 Day is Saturday, August 11. The organization is reminding property owners of its free service, which provides underground utility markings for anyone planning to to dig around their home or property.

NC 811 Education Manager, Ann Rushing, says she hopes to "share the 411 on 811 so you don't have to call 911."

There are nearly 20 millions miles of underground utility lines across the United States including gas, water, sewer cable TV, high speed internet, telephone and electric services.

Anytime you plan to dig, its recommended that you call 811 three days prior. The organization will then alert the affected underground facility owners and they will send people to mark the location of the underground lines with small flags.

Rushing says that hitting a line - even unintentionally - can cause major problems for your home and neighborhood and can also be costly to repair.

You should call 811 for projects as small as installing a mailbox or planting a tree.

Here’s how it works: 1. One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for NC811 to notify all appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. 2. Call 3 full working days prior to digging to ensure enough time for utility lines to be marked accurately. 3. When you call 811, a representative from NC811 will ask for the location and description of your digging project. 4. NC811 will notify affected utility companies, which will then send professional locators to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines. 5. Once lines have been accurately marked, roll up those sleeves and carefully dig around the marked areas.

You can learn more at www.nc811.org.