Friday is 811 Day. Pepco Reminds Customers that Safety is in their Hands. Every Dig. Every Time.

Calling 811 before starting outdoor projects or cleaning up after severe weather can help prevent damage 

Link to B-Roll footage: Pepco Safe Digging Practices

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 10, 2023) — Tomorrow, Aug. 11, is 811 Day, an annual reminder for customers to call 811 before starting any outdoor digging project. Pepco is joining Miss Utility, the one-call notification center for Maryland and the District of Columbia, to remind residents, businesses and contractors that safe digging must remain a priority to prevent damage to critical underground energy services and most importantly, to prevent injuries or even worse.

Pepco has 7,207 miles of underground electric lines. Besides Pepco equipment, there are numerous water and sewer lines, communication cables and other utility equipment. When calling 811, customers and contractors are connected to Miss Utility that will take the caller’s information and communicate it to local utility companies. Professional locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with spray paint, flags or both. Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas. Here is a breakdown of what each color indicates:

Not knowing what’s below can be dangerous. Striking an electric or utility line can lead to serious injuries, unwanted disruptions and added costs for fines and repairs. In 2022, Pepco responded to 155 incidents related to equipment damage caused by unsafe digging practices. So far, in 2023 Pepco has responded to 71 underground incidents. That’s why anyone planning to take on a commercial or Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project that involves digging, no matter the size, must call 811.

To avoid injury and disruptions, residents and businesses should remember these six tips before starting any project:

• Call 811 at least three days before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
• Have a plan. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend, providing ample time for the approximate location of lines to be marked.
• Confirm that all lines have been marked. 
• Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
• If a contractor has been hired, confirm that the contractor has called 811. Do not allow work to begin if the lines are not marked.
• Visit call811.com for more information.

With recent severe weather bringing down numerous trees across our service area, it is important for customers to be aware of their surroundings, including what’s underground, before starting cleanup. While the aftermath of severe weather is stressful, a call to 811 can help make sure cleanup goes safely and prevents further damage. 811 offers the following tips during storm cleanup:

• When piling up storm debris, do not place items in front of, around, or on top of known areas of buried and above ground utilities. Avoid any above-ground structures such as meters and pedestals that provide gas, power, communication or water capabilities.
• When storm debris collection begins, it is important for all utilities, both underground and overhead, to be identified in order to prevent personal injury.
• If digging is required for installation of temporary poles for electrical needs or if any other digging occurs, remember to always contact 811 beforehand to prevent serious injury when digging near underground utility lines.
• During storm restoration efforts, local utilities are facing stretched resources, which may impact the response time to locate their underground infrastructure. It is strongly encouraged that all nonessential excavation and demolition projects be postponed in areas impacted by the storm.
• If you suspect damage of any kind to underground lines, contact your local utility. If there is damage to a gas line or dangerous/hazardous lines, call 911. A gas leak could be occurring if you smell the distinctive natural gas odor, hear a hissing or whistling sound near a gas line, or see dead vegetation or bubbles near a gas line. If this occurs, vacate the area immediately and call 911.

To promote safety around electric infrastructure in the communities it serves, Pepco also reminds residents and businesses that customer-owned structures are not permitted within Pepco's easements near overhead equipment. Customers must contact their local municipality to obtain the necessary permits prior to any construction near company-owned transmission or distribution lines.

Pepco joins the Exelon family of companies, the other 1,700 Common Ground Alliance members, the U.S. Department of Transportation and governors across the country in marking 811 Day to bring extra attention to the issue of underground utility line safety and reduce the risk of unnecessary infrastructure damage.

To learn more about safe digging practices visit pepco.com/safety or call 202-833-7500.

To learn more about Pepco, visit The Source, Pepco's online newsroom. For more information about Pepco, visit pepco.com. Follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Pepco’s mobile app is available at pepco.com/MobileApp.   

# # #
 Pepco is a unit of Exelon (Nasdaq: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and the nation’s largest utility company, 
 serving more than 10 million customers. Pepco provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 
 919,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland.