Call before you dig 

August gives a reminder to call 811 

August 11 is just one day a year, but we hope the 8/11 reminder helps residents remember to call 811 before a digging project any day of the year. 

811 Day reminds homeowners and professional contractors to make that call. Calling 811 to share your intent to dig will signal the appropriate utilities to mark the approximate locations of their buried infrastructure with flags, spray paint or both. This is a free service. 

Whether it’s electric, gas, water or communications cable, you don’t want to accidentally dig into a buried utility. 

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that necessitate a call to 811 before starting. 

Kentucky requires two full working days’ advance notice to the 811 center or online before a digging project to give the utilities enough time to mark the approximate location of their underground utilities on your property. “Working day” means every day except Saturday, Sunday and observed holidays. Each line will be marked in the color that corresponds to the appropriate utility. The marks are valid for 20 days.

Before you contact Kentucky’s 811, you will need to know specific details about where you plan to dig: 

The county, town, street address, nearest intersecting street and location on the property. 

The name and phone number of the person who will be doing the digging. 

It’s recommended you mark the designated area with white paint or flags, so the utility operators know where you plan to excavate. 

Look out below

In many neighborhoods, buried power lines have become the norm. While this means there are no poles and wires running overhead to worry about, they still require special consideration: 

Underground power lines require those green boxes, called pad-mount transformers. Though it may be tempting to hide them with landscaping, please don’t. Your electric cooperative needs access. 

Never allow children to play on or around the pad-mounted transformers. They contain electrical equipment with high voltage inside. 

Keep shrubs and structures at least 12 feet from the “door” of the box, and at least 3 feet from the sides. 

If landscaping is too close, inadequate air circulation can cause equipment to overheat and fail. Plantings might have to be cut and removed. 

Keep the meter on your house visible and accessible, too