Winder Reminds Residents to Call Before They Dig

With spring in the air, flowers in bloom and new shipments of patio furniture arriving daily at local superstores, many Winder homeowners may be eyeing their yards for landscaping and outdoor living space enhancements.

April is not only a terrific month to start “digging in” to spring projects such as tree planting, deck laying and fence building, but the city of Winder wishes to remind residents that it’s also National Safe Digging Month.

When tackling any project around the home that requires the use of a shovel — be it a small project such as placement of a shrub or a large project such as the positioning of fence posts — homeowners should call 811 at least two business days before they dig to allow time for underground utility lines to be marked with colored flags or paint.

This federally-mandated national "Call Before You Dig" number was created to help protect residents and contractors from unintentionally hitting utility lines. Skipping this all-important step could result in harm to oneself or those nearby and disruption of service to an entire neighborhood. In the event that either of these scenarios occur and 811 has not been called, the homeowner could potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

The best part is that there is no cost associated with this service, which is sponsored by the Common Ground Alliance, the leading association created specifically to work with all industry stakeholders in an effort to prevent damage to underground utility infrastructure and ensure public safety and environmental protection.

For more information about Georgia’s “Dig Law,” visit the Georgia Public Service Commission website.

Have you ever hit underground utility lines when digging? What happened? Tell us in comments. 

Check back every Thursday for a new City Spotlight on Winder.