{"id":992939,"date":"2026-08-10T14:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/national-811-day-damaging-underground-utility-lines-during-digging-can-be-a-serious-public-safety-issue\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:26:11","slug":"national-811-day-damaging-underground-utility-lines-during-digging-can-be-a-serious-public-safety-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/national-811-day-damaging-underground-utility-lines-during-digging-can-be-a-serious-public-safety-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"National 811 Day: Damaging Underground Utility Lines During Digging Can be a Serious Public Safety Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PR Newswire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n A Free Call to 811 Will Help Keep You Safe and Avoid Expensive Repairs<\/i>\n <\/p>\n

\n OAKLAND, Calif.<\/span>, Aug. 10, 2026<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ — Most every day, somewhere in Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) service area in Northern and Central California, an underground utility line is damaged due to digging. Each of these incidents pose a public safety risk requiring a 911 response and can result in repair bills averaging $3,500. To help prevent these incidents and to raise awareness of the importance of calling 811 before any digging project, large or small, Tuesday, August 11 is recognized as National 811 Day.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Pacific\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Not contacting 811 before digging is the top driver of damages to buried utilities every year. In PG&E’s service area alone, there were over 1,200 line strikes during 2025, and in 55% of these incidents, 811 was not called. Underground utility lines can be shallow, sometimes only a few inches below the surface, so it is important to call 811 before any project that involves digging, even for seemingly small projects like building\u00a0or replacing a fence, planting and landscaping.<\/p>\n

“By making a fast and free call to 811, utility professionals will come to your home or job site and mark the location of underground lines so that you can dig safely and avoid expensive repairs. Know what’s below before you start any size digging project, whether you are planting, landscaping, or doing fence work and call 811 two days before you dig. Remember, call 811 so that you don’t have to call 911,” said Mitch Smith, Director, PG&E Damage Prevention. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n By the Numbers<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

Warmer weather months see an increase in digging projects and a corresponding increase in the number of strikes to underground lines that have not been marked ahead of time. In fact, throughout PG&E’s service area of Northern and Central California:<\/p>\n