The 811 service, which is funded by nearly 600 member utilities (including APS), is a free service to homeowners. It also is required by law to call 811 before digging – and for good reason since there are more than 100,000 miles of buried lines in Arizona alone. Without having the dig site properly marked with paint and flags, homeowners run the risk of accidentally striking a water, internet, electric or gas line -- not only risking their life and the lives of others, but also disrupting vital services to an entire community.
“We make the process quick and easy,” said Sandra Holmes, Executive Director at Arizona 811. “By calling just two working days before any digging, no matter how large or how small the digging project may be, you can help prevent injuries, property damage and harm to underground utilities, as well as inconvenient outages to services we all rely upon every day.”
In the United States, specific utility lines have uniform color codes for temporary markings, which is what the public sees after the 811 Locate Specialist comes out to the property. The color codes for utilities are as follow:
- RED – electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
- ORANGE – communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
- YELLOW – natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
- GREEN – sewers and drain lines
- BLUE – potable water
- PURPLE – reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
- PINK – temporary survey markings
- WHITE – proposed excavation
"A phone call or online request is all it takes to get the process started, and working in conjunction with local utilities, we take care of the rest,” said Holmes.
The 811 service was designated by the Federal Communications Committee in 2005 as a simple phone number for homeowners to request utility line locations to be marked at a dig site, ensuring safe digging. Learn more at arizona811.com.
About APS
APS serves more than 1.3 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 50% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
About Arizona 811
In 1974, Arizona 811 was established and known as “Arizona Blue Stake” and is a call center providing notification services to underground facility owners and operators to be notified when anyone is planning to dig so they could mark their facilities in advance, in accordance with Arizona Revised Statute 40-360.21-32, also referred to as Arizona’s “Call Before You Dig” law.
In 2014, “Arizona Blue Stake” officially changed its name to Arizona 811. Today, Arizona 811 works with professional excavators and homeowners throughout Arizona to facilitate pre-excavation notification services from its communication center in Tempe, Ariz. For more information on Arizona 811, go to arizona811.com.
