As the ground begins to warm and the snowfall fades, April becomes a busy month that typically leads to many outdoor projects. National Safe Digging Month is a great reminder for excavators and homeowners to contact 811 before beginning any digging project.
Before breaking ground, homeowners must contact 811 to have underground utility lines marked on their property. Colorado law states that all who wish to dig must first give utilities up to three business days (not including weekends and holidays) to locate facilities which may be impacted by excavation, such as water and sewer lines, gas lines, electric lines and telephone and cable lines.
No job is too small to call! Even if you are just planting a small shrub or installing a new mailbox, you need to contact 811 before you dig. You can easily request a locate online at Colorado 811.
For safe digging, follow these steps before breaking ground:
- Notify your local one call center by calling 811 or making an online request 2-3 days before work begins.
- Wait the required amount of time for affected utility operators to respond to your request.
- Confirm that all affected utility operators have responded to your request and marked underground utilities.
- Respect the marks.
- Dig Carefully around the marks.
If you have any questions regarding utility locates or for help with a message received from a utility locator, contact the District office at 303-979-2333. District Construction Programs Manager, Tony Cocozzella, has served on the Colorado 811 Board of Directors for five years and currently serves as Secretary of the Board.
If you receive an email response from the District, remember that it only pertains to water and sewer locates.
