Southern Minnesota, Call Before You Dig

It seems like just about everything has a day, or week or month. April marks National Safe Digging Month. It makes sense of course that April would be the month. The snow is usually gone and it kind of marks the beginning of digging for gardens, building improvement and erection and so forth.

Xcel Energy reports that they had nearly 120 incidences last year in Minnesota when buried gas and electric lines were damaged during excavation and not located beforehand.

People who have a need or plans to do digging on their property need to contact Gopher State One, who will notify the appropriate utility. A locator will then come out and mark off where the line is buried. Striking a buried line can not only cause damage to the utility but also cause serious bodily harm. Simply call 8-1-1 to get the ball rolling. Most lines are buried quite deep, but there can be exceptions, such as older lines. Play it safe and call 8-1-1 before you start your project.