Call Before You Dig

Always call before you dig. Phone with 811 logo on it sitting on grass.Before you begin landscaping or other outdoor home improvement projects, call 811 to have your underground utilities located to avoid preventable outages and damage to your home’s electrical service. Whether planting a tree or installing a pool, dial 811 before digging that first hole.

One easy phone call to 811 begins the process to have your underground utility lines located. Local One Call Center operators will ask for the location of your job and route the call to your local utility companies, including Wiregrass Electric Cooperative (WEC). Representatives from each utility will visit your home or property to mark your lines with color-coded spray paint or flags. Once the lines have been marked, you will know what areas to avoid in your digging project. There is no charge for this line location service, and it could save you time and money.

Cutting into a line could result in an unwanted bill. Sometimes a utility will charge the cost of repair to the person who cuts into a line without having it located first. The depth of utility lines varies throughout a property, and there may be several lines in one area. Digging into a line could disrupt service for the homeowner as well as their neighbors, and could potentially bring harm or even death to the person digging. One call can have all underground utility lines marked within a few days, giving you the information you need before you dig.

The Alabama Line Location Center (ALLC) is a non-profit organization that has been an industry leader in providing a centralized notification service and public education to prevent damage to underground facilities in Alabama. ALLC had been operating as Alabama One Call since 1994, and in January 2011 changed to Alabama 811 to make it easier for the public to remember to call 811 before you dig and easily associate the existing one call center with Alabama 811.

811 is the national call before you dig number that was put into service in May 2007 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The program is funded by utilities that participate. Many people are familiar with the phrase ‘Call Before You Dig.’ What many don’t realize is who should call, and what number to dial. Alabama 811 allows for the name to reflect the phone number and the fact that all Alabamians must call before they dig — for every project, every time. Never make risky assumptions about the location of underground lines. Safe digging is smart no matter what part of the state excavation will take place.