Need to dig in your yard? Call Missouri 811 first
Imagine you live on a property that has a gravel driveway. You have gotten to the point that you can afford and would prefer concrete. This requires some digging, but you elect to not call 811. While working close to the street you damage a line that provides your house with internet service. This is especially troubling as you work from home.
In this situation, a person should have called Missouri 811 at least three days prior to starting any project — yes, even for gardens or landscaping — to know where utility lines are located.
Ameren Missouri and 811 are working to raise awareness about the 50-in-5 Initiative, which aims to reduce utility line damage by half by 2028, as well as encourage people to call 811. Sunday marks National 811 Day.
"We want to make sure we are informing our community to always call 811 prior to any digging projects, no matter what size, for the purpose of protecting our underground utilities," said Ramona Schatzer, with Ameren Missouri, who used her property Monday as a demonstration location for media to learn more National 811 Day and how the free service for residents works.
When a person calls 811, that service then does the leg work of contacting utilities, so workers then can mark with paint and flag utility lines both in roadway rights-of-way, but also on a person's property itself, as service lines to a resident come off these right-of-way lines. Utility companies pay 811 to support its nonprofit operations.
Wherever there's a mark or a flag it is a good idea to dig at least 2 feet away. Ameren, for example, uses a locator wire next to its gas lines, but they are not always directly adjacent and may be a couple of inches apart, which is why there is the recommended 2-foot digging buffer. A utility company never will conduct digging for an individual who calls 811. Its job is just to mark where utility lines lie underground so they hopefully are not damaged.
"Utilities will cover up to their service entrance in the home. So, for natural gas we will locate from the meter to everywhere else in scope," Schatzer said.
Whether or not a person has called 811 and there is damage to a utility line, a person also should call 811 to report the damage. In the case of gas line damage, Schatzer also says to call 911 and Ameren Missouri to report the damage as that needs a more immediate response.
There are consequences for digging without calling 811. It is as simple as a person covering the costs of repairs all the way up to more stringent legal consequences depending on if a person is a repeat offender.
"It's the law and we want to protect our community. If they do damage especially to a utility like natural gas, it can migrate and it's flamable. We want to protect our customers and our clients. We don't want them to experience an interruption in service," Schatzer said.
While 811 and Ameren Missouri were doing a demonstration for media Monday, there are other places education is provided, said Nick Rasa, education and marketing manager with 811. This includes at schools, with excavating companies and more.
"We're at the Missouri State Fair next week. We're getting out there in front of the pulic and educating them on what the state laws are and what they have to follow. These are state laws," he said.
811 partners with University of Missouri Extension on safety days held at schools, with Rasa expressing they try to educate people as young as they can.
"We want everyone to go home safe at night. A lot of these utilities are very dangerous to dig around. A big misconception is that they are buried deep and you'll never hit them. A lot of utilities are right underneath the surface," Rasa said.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Ameren Missouri, Missouri 811 mark National 811 Day
