FILE: Climate Corps Leadership Institute students from Watsonville Wetlands Watch plant a tree on the Pajaro Valley High School campus in Watsonville, Calif. On National 811 Day, PG&E is urging residents to call 811 before any digging project to prevent accidents and costly damage to underground utility lines. (Watsonville Wetlands Watch via Bay City News)

Monday is National 811 Day, the number to call when beginning a digging project, large or small. 

Before undertaking any digging project, PG&E said to call 811 to ensure any project can be done safely and not damage underground utility lines or create the need for expensive repairs that can cost an average of $3,500.  

According to PG&E, in the first six months of this year, nearly 300 digging incidents have happened in the Bay Area and gas and electric lines have been damaged all over PG&E’s service area in Central and Northern California 471 times. In nearly 60% of those cases, 811 was not called beforehand, PG&E said, but in the case of residential customers, that number goes up to 90% of diggers not calling first.  

“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, including building or replacing a fence, planting or landscaping, and beginning construction work,” said PG&E in a release from the utility. 

Digging for gardening and landscaping, building a fence, planting a tree or removing a stump, and building a patio or deck are all good times to call 811, PG&E said. 

Calling 811 will prompt a utility professional to come out to your proposed digging area at no charge and mark the locations of any underground lines, including gas, electric, water, sewer or telecom. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.