OKLAHOMA CITY – Spring is the perfect time to work in the yard and conquer those projects you’ve been putting off, but experts say there is one thing you need to do before starting.
In fact, ONG officials say one call could end up saving you thousands of dollars.
The little flags all over your street or in your yard are a good sign for those planning to start a spring project.
“This is a great time to get out there and get your hands in the dirt and start planting and looking at landscaping, but before you do that, you really need to get all the utility lines marked in your yard,” said Cherokee Ballard, with ONG.
Whether it’s a new deck or bigger projects like a pool, crews have to come mark your utility lines before contractors start digging.
“You really need to make that phone call because if you hit a line, then your project is going to be delayed, and delayed, and delayed potentially,” said Ballard.
All you have to do is dial 811 at least 48 hours before you start your project.
“You also need to wait for a positive response so sometimes people will call that in and think, ‘Well I didn’t hear anything, so it must be OK,'” she added.
If you don’t call, you run a costly risk.
“You could damage all six of those lines at once. You’re gonna look at around $11,000 worth of damages that you’re gonna have to pay for because you didn’t make the call to 811,” said Susan Bohl.
