Spring digging requires proper mark-outs to prevent costly damages

Planting a tree or erecting a fence this spring?

April is National Safe Digging Month, and residents, businesses and contractors are planting trees or digging for improvement projects.

Atlantic City Electric is reminding everyone that safe digging must remain a priority to prevent damage to critical underground energy infrastructure and keep communities safe.

The utility has nearly 3,150 miles of underground electric lines, and there are many other essential utilities, including water and sewer pipes and cable lines, buried in the ground. In 2025, Atlantic City Electric responded to 95 incidents due to unsafe digging practices.

Before starting any digging projects, residents and businesses should follow these tips and should visit Call811.com for more information.

• Call 811 before digging, regardless of the project, to allow for approximate locations of underground lines to be marked.
• Plan ahead – leave ample time. Call three business days in advance at minimum for the utility lines to be marked.
• Confirm that all local utilities have lines marked accordingly.
• Consider moving the location of your project if it is too close to utility line markings.
• If a contractor has been hired, confirm that the contractor has called 811. Do not let work begin if lines have not been marked.

Once the lines are marked, use this guide to understand color codes of markings: Red for electric, Yellow for gas, Orange for cable, Blue for water, Green for sewer, Purple for reclaimed water, White for excavation, and Pink is for temporary survey markings.

For more information about safe digging practices, visit atlanticcityelectric.com/Safety or call 800-642-3780.