The Common Ground Alliance, a group formed in 2000 to advance U.S. Dept. of Transportation efforts to protect underground utilities, launched a “Call Before You Dig” Website to promote the use of a national 811 telephone number for getting buried utilities flagged before shovels turn dirt.
Washington, D.C.-based CGA says its goal is to reduce the estimated 700,000 annual underground line strikes and save lives. It built the site, call811.com, using part of a $1-million grant to develop a public awareness campaign, funded through the federal Pipeline Inspection Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of November 2006, says Eben Wyman, vice president of government relations at National Utility Contractors Association, Arlington, Va. The Website launched Jan. 24, and 811 service will begin in May.