A CONVENIENT REMINDER FOR RESIDENTS & CONTRACTORS
TOALWAYS CALL 811 BEFORE DIGGING
Dickinson, ND – Southwest Water Authority proudly supports August 11 as National 811 Day. This day serves as a reminder for everyone to call 811 prior to any digging projects so underground utility lines can be marked. Every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone did not call 811 before digging.
When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to the local One Call center, which notifies utility companies, such as Southwest Water Authority, for their intent to dig. Members of Southwest Water Authority staff are sent to the requested digging site to mark the appropriate locations of underground pipelines with flags, spray paint or often both. These utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.
The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. One simple call helps Southwest Water Authority protect the quality water of the Southwest Pipeline Project for all residents and visitors of southwest North Dakota.
Start a digging project right by calling 811 before you begin. Eliminate the risk of striking an underground utility and know which utilities are buried in your area. Southwest Water Authority supports August 11 as National 811 Day. For more information about 811 and safe digging practices visit www.call811.com.