Governor Beshear signs proclamation, declares today as 811 Day
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation today declaring today as 811 Day, but you might be asking yourself what is 811?
811 is a very useful helpline used to map out underground pipes, lines and cables, before someone starts digging. It’s a tool that Atmos Energy, and many other utility providers, have been pleading with customers to call before they dig. Failure to call could result in ruptured gas lines, split fiber optic cables and other inconveniences that would be made worse. And even with the readily available hotline, hundreds of people rupture lines every day.
“Every six minutes someone cuts a line and that’s that’s a national statistic. So every six minutes somebody is digging in the ground and cutting a utility line. So it happens every day. And for as far as Atmos Energy, we get it every week without fail 2 or 3, sometimes five times a week. It just depends on who’s dig in and who’s doing what out there,” said Kay Coomes, the manager of public affairs for Atmos Energy Kentucky.
Failing to call 811 and cutting a line can cause hurt the wallet as well as a fine up to $4,000 can be placed upon the offender. It doesn’t matter what your plans are or how far you plan on digging, something as simple as planting shrubbery can impact the lines in the soil.
“Whether it’s for a fence, a mailbox, simple shrubbery, you know, pulling up it in and, just call it when you want to get it over with. Just call us, let us mark the line, tell us where you’re going to dig, and then we’ll mark the line and then you know where we’re located. And the water company will do the same thing, and the cable company do. So you know where the lines are in your yard. It’s as simple as that. That is, the first step is to contact 811 so that we can get the lines,” Coomes said.
Coomes says that 811 is a free national hotline, and if you plan to do any digging to please give them a call, because if you don’t call 811, your next call could be to 911.
