Call Before You Dig
You Could Be Digging Up More Than Just Dirt.
Landscape improvements add beauty and value to your home. From modest designs to elaborate projects they enhance outdoor living space and can be a source of enjoyment. However, these projects also have the potential to cause quite a headache if you neglect to follow an important first step. Before you or a contractor do any digging on your property, simply call JULIE at 8-1-1 or 1-800-892-0123.
You can also enter your locate request via www.illinois1call.com.
Even simple projects like planting a tree or shrub to more complex projects like installing a deck,fence or home addition require a call because you never know what’s down below. Beneath what youmay think is the perfect spot may be a bunch of different types of utility lines that if hit while diggingcan cause all sorts of damage and affect service to you or others and lead to costly repairs. All this can be avoided by contacting JULIE and having a professional locator from member facility owner companies come out and mark the approximate location of the utility lines on your property, for free, before you dig. (JULIE personnel do not perform locating or marking services). “With a growing trend of do-it-yourselfers focusing on outdoor beautification and home improvement projects, the first step to any successful project is notifying JULIE,” said Kevin Chmura, director of public relations for JULIE, Inc. “Safe digging is no accident.
When homeowners inadvertently cut or damage lines during so-called routine projects, the results can still take a staggering toll, in terms of costly delays, environmental or property damage, liability, personal injury and even loss of life.” Types of projects that require notifying JULIE include, but are not limited to, planting trees, bushes or shrubs; putting up a fence or tent; installing a swing set, a mail box post or water feature such as a pool, pond or fountain; building a deck; or preparing a new garden or landscape area. JULIE’s call center agents are available to receive and process requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week at either 8-1-1 or 800-892-0123. E-Request, a free, web-based program for homeowners with Internet access who prefer to enter their own utility locate requests via www.illinois1call.com is also a popular option. Based in Joliet, the not-for-profit organization represents 1,800 members and annually receives 1 million locate requests. Because one call to JULIE results in communication with multiple member utility companies, notifications to JULIE, Inc. last year resulted in 5.8 million messages being transmitted to members. JULIE neither owns nor marks any underground lines.
For a copy of JULIE’s Homeowner’s Guide, an explanation of the color-code markings and information about the one-call process, visit www.illinois1call.com.