Safety Tip

Spring has sprung and homeowners everywhere are eager to begin gardening and doing outdoor home improvement projects. Before starting any projects that require digging, however, contact Colorado 811 to request utility location services.April is National Safe Digging Month. Colorado 811 uses this designation to remind residents about the hazards of striking underground utilities such as electrical and gas lines. The organization stated in a March press release that homeowners were three times more likely to hit a buried utility line if they did not contact 811 before breaking ground. Striking a utility line can result in injuries, fines, repair costs and outages.Homeowners should contact Colorado 811 at least three business days before starting even simple projects such as installing a fence, building a deck or planting a tree or shrub. The depth of utility lines can vary for several reasons, and the risk of striking a utility line exists even when digging just a few inches, according to Colorado 811.To request a utility location, simply call 8-1-1 or submit a request through Ticket Express at: http://colorado811.org/ticket-express/ A professional utility locator will be sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, paint or both.For more information about digging safely, visit http//co811.org.