By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

Whether it’s planting a tree or digging a new foundation, every excavation project should start with one call: 811.

Texas811 is the non-profit organization connecting Texans, utility companies and municipalities across the state.

Any landowner or excavator can initiate the process of having underground utilities marked before digging.

“Two to three days before digging, call 811,” Texas811 President and CEO Chris Stovall said. “There is so much underground, and if you dig–even on your own property–you’re possibly going to run into gas lines, electric, phone, water, sewer…anything you can imagine is possibly buried underground.”

About 40 percent of damages to underground gas or hazardous liquid pipelines in 2019 occurred because residents didn’t request location services from 811 prior to digging, according to Texas811 Damage Prevention Manager David Ferguson.

“Over 20 percent were caused by someone who did not verify the location of the underground pipeline by using soft digging, hand tools or vacuum excavation,” he wrote in a recent issue of Texas811 magazine. “It’s unsettling to know that any one of these damages could have caused an injury or fatality.”

Ferguson noted another 20 percent of damages were caused by locating errors by the underground pipeline operator’s in-house or contract locator or by the pipeline operator’s incorrect underground facility maps, all of which could have been avoided by using 811.

But it’s not just companies and contractors that err. Property and homeowners can easily damage underground lines, too.

With more than a million miles of underground utilities and pipelines crisscrossing Texas, it’s easy to accidentally hit a line, even while digging with a shovel.

“Whether you’re putting in a fence or swimming pool or any do-it-yourself project, you don’t want to hit what’s underground,” Stovall said. “You don’t want to cut phone cables, or cut your own cable, but gas and electric, if you hit that, it’s a safety issue.”

Texas811 is a service designed for damage prevention and public safety when excavating land.

Within three business days after 811 is contacted, utilities with underground facilities in the area are notified to mark lines at the planned dig site. Then, those utilities will send a locator to mark with color-coded paint or flags where any underground lines are located.

Excavators must honor and respect these marks. Any digging within 18 inches of either side of the mark must be undertaken with extreme caution.

When these steps are followed, according to 811, there is a less than one-percent chance underground utility lines are hit.

There is no cost to contact Texas811, which is available around-the-clock except on state and federal holidays.

Click here to access the Texas811 Homeowner Portal.

To request a line marking, call 811, visit the website or access the mobile app.