So you’ve decided to plant a couple of trees in your landscape this
weekend. What’s the worst thing that could happen? An aching back?
Blistered hands? Not even close!

How about swinging a pickaxe, hearing a clang and getting drenched
with a geyser gushing from the water main you hit? Or maybe pulling
back the lever on your rented Bobcat and realizing you’ve just
ruptured a gas line or torn up a buried electrical cable?

It’s safe to say that any of those could pretty much ruin your
weekend. You would also earn the wrath of your neighbors whose
utilities were cut off until crews could repair your damage, and it’s
likely you’d be responsible for the cost of repairs and possibly even
open to legal consequences.

You might think that the hole you are digging for that new tree isn’t
deep enough to cause a problem, but that can be a dangerous
assumption. For one thing, some utilities might be closer to the
surface than you imagine.

Additionally, you have to remember that tree roots can go deep and
wide as the tree matures, and planting over or close to underground
utilities is like burying a green time bomb that can dislodge and
break lines many years in the future.

Fortunately, this is a problem that has a very simple (and free)
solution.

All you have to do – BEFORE you dig – is call a single 3-digit phone
number: 811. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call
will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center
operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route
your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will
then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines
within a few days.

Utility companies have offered this service for many years, but with
so many companies with so many phone numbers spread across the
country, there was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. Hence the
start of a national one-call service and a unique phone number, 811.

Some homeowners believe the 811 service is solely for contractors but
that is incorrect. Utility companies are just as happy to mark their
lines for your DIY projects as for professional excavation jobs.

I should add that, even if you hire professional contractors to build
that new deck or fence on your property, don’t assume they will call
811 before they begin work. I recommend that you ask the contractor if
they have already done so, or you can simply call 811 yourself and
tell your contractor that you’ve made the call.

Within a few days, you’ll see some little colored flags or lines of
colored paint criss-crossing your land, indicating what lies beneath.
Here’s what the colors indicate:

Red – Electric
Orange – Communications, Telephone/CATV
Blue – Potable Water
Green – Sewer/Drainage
Yellow – Gas/Petroleum Pipe Line
Purple – Reclaimed Water
White – Premark site of intended excavation
As you can see, white paint or flags are used to indicate where you or
your contractors are planning to dig. It’s a very good idea to mark
the dig location before the utility locator teams come out. But be
sure you use only WHITE markers to avoid any confusion!
While the marker teams are looking down, you should take a few moments
to look up. Overhead power and telephone lines are so much part of our
lives that they almost become invisible to us.

But a tree planted under or close to an overhead power line can be a
major problem. Before you plant a tree anywhere near overhead lines,
double-check the possible mature height and canopy spread, and if
necessary err on the side of caution and plant it a little further
away.

Special thanks to Alecia White, representing The Common Ground
Alliance, for reminding us that more than 256,000 underground utility
lines are struck each year in the U.S. If you’d rather not be part of
that statistic, simply call 811 so you’ll know what’s below before you
dig.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

wrote:

All you have to do – BEFORE you dig – is call a single 3-digit phone
number: 811. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call
will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center
operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route
your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will
then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines
within a few days.


You need to do more research before you post. There is no such number
in our area.

On 3/3/2010 12:38 PM, John wrote:
wrote:

All you have to do – BEFORE you dig – is call a single 3-digit phone
number: 811. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call
will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center
operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route
your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will
then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines
within a few days.


You need to do more research before you post. There is no such number in
our area.

Here says federal mandate:

http://www.call811.com/about-us/default.aspx

Wonder if you get arrested if you don't call first and just dig?

In article ,
Frank wrote:

On 3/3/2010 12:38 PM, John wrote:
wrote:

All you have to do * BEFORE you dig * is call a single 3-digit phone
number: 811. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call
will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center
operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route
your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will
then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines
within a few days.


You need to do more research before you post. There is no such number in
our area.

Here says federal mandate:

http://www.call811.com/about-us/default.aspx

Wonder if you get arrested if you don't call first and just dig?

I'd not be surprised that the call before you dig refers to digging
near underground gas lines.

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

On Mar 3, 10:36*am, Bill who putters wrote:
In article ,



*Frank wrote:
On 3/3/2010 12:38 PM, John wrote:
wrote:

All you have to do * BEFORE you dig * is call a single 3-digit phone
number: 811. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call
will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center
operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route
your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will
then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines
within a few days.

You need to do more research before you post. There is no such number in
our area.

Here says federal mandate:

http://www.call811.com/about-us/default.aspx

Wonder if you get arrested if you don't call first and just dig?

*I'd not be surprised that the call before you dig refers to digging
near underground gas lines.

* Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

We periodically get peppered with those "Call before you dig" TV ads,
so I called our local utility company and was referred to the 811
number for a free locator service. Made arrangements for someone to
come locate and mark all of our utilities before we brought in
equipment to regrade the backyard to install a new patio, paths, and a
home greenhouse. A guesthouse/workshop is set behind the house and
we were concerned that our project could interfere with the
underground electrical lines. Told the customer service person exactly
what we were doing and where it was located.

Waited all day for their man to show up and when he finally appeared,
pointed out the area where we would be digging. He grunted at me and
headed for the street, about 250 feet from the backyard. For about
half an hour he occupied himself with his little gizmo, locating the
lines & planting little flags in the ground between the street and the
house. Then he announced that he was done.

"What about the backyard and the lines to the guesthouse - remember
that's where we're digging," I asked. "We are only required to locate
utilities between the street and the meter on the house. The rest is
your problem." No amount of pleasant pleas could convince this jerk
to take 5 minutes and track the underground line from the main house
electric meter to the guesthouse 20 feet away.

Complained to my utility company who said they were having chronic
"issues" with the 811 service provider. They contract with a national
locator service but evidently have little or no control over them.

Long and the short of it, the mandated program may a good concept, but
unless you're only digging in your front yard, it's a total waste of
time. Not knowing where the lines were made for a long, nervous
afternoon of cautious hand digging.

Nancy T