Call Before You Dig gets national phone number

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) launched a new national 811 "Call Before You Dig" website (www.call811.com) designed to serve as a national resource for professional excavators and to educate industry audiences about the new 811 Call Before You Dig telephone number. The national number will be launched to the public in May 2007.

"Knowing where utility lines are buried before each digging project helps protect those who dig from injury, expense, and penalties," said CGA President Bob Kipp. "Our new website will provide the professional digging community with the tools they need to begin educating their employees and customers about the new national 811 number to launch later this year. One easy phone call to 811 will get the approximate location of underground utility lines marked for free.

811 is the new FCC-designated national N-11 number created to eliminate confusion about multiple Call Before You Dig numbers across the country. According to CGA, this service connects callers with local One Call Centers who notify the appropriate local utilities, who then send crews to the requested site to mark the approximate location of underground lines for free.

In 2004, according to industry data, CGA estimates there were approximately 680,000 underground line strikes resulting in damages, including service outages and injury.