Energy and gas companies remind people to dig safely on 811 Day

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - In 2022, Piedmont Natural Gas and Duke Energy had almost 5,000 reports of damage to underground natural gas and electric lines. To remind people to call 811 before they dig, August 11 has been declared “811 Day.”

Anyone preparing to dig is encouraged to call 811 a minimum of three days ahead of time. That way, the local utilities company has time to mark underground electric, natural gas, water, sewer and other lines. Accidentally damaging electrical or natural gas lines can cause injury and potential costs to repair the broken equipment.

Calling 811 is completely free and reccomended for even seemingly small digs such as mailboxes or basketball goal posts.

“Even simple digging jobs can cause serious injuries and disrupt vital utility services to communities, so it is important to call 811 to prevent unnecessary and potentially dangerous situations and outages in our communities,” said Piedmont Natural Gas President Sasha Weintraub in a release.

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