Town of Clayton locators talk 811 Day
August 11 serves as a national reminder to “Call Before You Dig,” and the Town of Clayton is joining North Carolina 811 in encouraging residents and contractors to make a free request three working days before starting any digging project to avoid damaging buried utility lines.
Every few minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without calling 811. This simple step connects homeowners and contractors with North Carolina 811, the local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies. Professional locators then arrive at the site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both.
Here in Clayton, that work is handled by the Town’s experienced locator team, Senior Locator Lenetta Lucas and Locator Mark VanPelt. Lucas, who has been with the Town for five years, also serves as Co-Chair of the Harnett & Johnston Utility Coordinating Committee. VanPelt recently celebrated his first year with the Town.
“Our locators are on the front lines of keeping Clayton safe,” said Lucas. “Marking underground lines before digging prevents costly damage, keeps our utilities running, and most importantly, protects people from serious injury.”
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, inconvenient outages, and fines. That’s why it’s important to call 811 before every digging project—large or small. This includes installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree, or laying a patio. Requests can also be made online at https://newtin.nc811.org/nc811oa/.
“The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, like erosion or past digging,” added VanPelt. “Even if you’ve dug in an area before, it’s always safest to get it marked again.”
To learn more about 811 and safe digging practices, visit www.nc811.org.
