April is National Safe Digging Month, a reminder to call 811 before starting any excavation project, large or small.
Damaging an underground utility line during an excavation can result in thousands of dollars in repair costs.
SAN FRANCISCO, California — Every day in Central and Northern California, underground utility lines are damaged because homeowners and contractors fail to call 811 before starting excavation projects. Digging without knowing the location of underground lines is not only dangerous, but can also result in costly repairs and inconvenient outages. April is recognized as National Safe Digging Month to raise awareness about the importance of calling 811 before starting any excavation project.
Underground utility lines can be shallow, often just inches below the surface due to erosion, previous excavation or landscaping projects, ground shifting or settling, and uneven surfaces. Customers should call 811 at least two business days before beginning any excavation project, large or small, as damaging an underground utility line while digging is dangerous and can leave customers responsible for repair costs averaging $3,500.
“Calling 811 before starting any excavation project will keep you, your family, and neighbors safe and help you avoid costly repairs, averaging $3,500, if an underground line is damaged during excavation. Professional utility line locators will come to your home free of charge and mark the location of underground lines so you can dig safely, knowing what lies beneath,” said Joe Forline, PG&E Senior Vice President of Gas Operations. During the warmer summer months, there will be an increase in the number of digging projects, and unfortunately, many of these projects are being carried out without a toll-free call to 811 to mark utilities at project sites. In fact, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), 56% of homeowners plan to dig without first calling 811. However, in PG&E’s service area alone, failure to call 811 before digging resulted in more than 1,300 incidents during 2024 in which underground utility lines were damaged due to digging.
2024 in numbers:
- There were 1,302 incidents in Northern and Central California in which homeowners or contractors damaged underground gas or electric lines while excavating.
- In 60 percent of incidents where an underground utility line was damaged due to excavation, there was no 811 call.
- For homeowners specifically, that percentage rises to 89 percent.
- The average cost to repair a damaged utility line is $3,500.
- The leading causes of damage to underground utility lines while excavating are: building or repairing a fence, gardening and landscaping, planting a tree or removing a stump, drainage and irrigation work, and building a patio or deck.
Calling 811 is fast and free:
- Customers should call 811 at least two business days before beginning any project involving excavation, regardless of the size. Customers can also visit 811express.com to have utility lines marked for their project site.
- Professional workers from all utilities (gas, electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications) will be dispatched to mark the location of all underground utility lines at the project site, either using flags, spray paint, or both.
- The 811 USA North call center, serving Central and Northern California, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers translation services for Spanish and other languages.
PG&E Tips for Safe Excavation
- Mark the project area with white: Identify the excavation zone by drawing a box around the area with white paint, white flags, white chalk, or even white flour.
- Call 811 or submit a request online at least two business days before digging: Have the address and general location of the project, the project start date, and the type of excavation activity available. PG&E and other utilities will identify underground utilities in the area free of charge. Requests can be submitted no later than 14 days before the project begins.
- Excavating Safety: Use hand tools when excavating within 24 inches of the outer edge of underground lines. Leave utility flags, stakes, or paint markings in place until the project is complete. Backfill and compact the soil.
- Watch for signs of a natural gas leak: Listen for a “rotten egg” smell, listen for hissing, hissing, or roaring sounds, and look for blown soil, bubbles in a pond or stream, or dead or dying vegetation in a wet area.
