Planning a digging project this spring in Upstate New York? UDig NY has important information for you.

EAST SYRACUSE, NY – April is National Safe Digging Month and UDig NY has important information for anyone planning a digging project in Upstate New York. Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utility lines can result in injury, repair costs, fines, and outages. That’s why professional excavators and homeowners with digging projects should place an underground utility location request with UDig NY. A location request can be placed by visiting UDigNY.org or by calling 811. Location requests should be placed at least two business days, but not more than 10 days, before beginning an excavation project.

“Placing a location request at least two days before you plan to dig and understanding safe-digging best practices helps protect your entire community,” said UDig NY Executive Director Kevin Hopper. “This National Safe Digging Month, I encourage anyone planning a project that involves digging to visit UDigNY.org to learn more about how to dig safely.”

After a location request is placed, UDig NY processes and transmits the information to the member facility operators who are responsible for marking out the approximate location of any underground public utilities in the dig area, helping excavators to dig safely.

In addition to placing a location request, anyone planning a digging project should familiarize themselves with important safe-digging concepts like the APWA Uniform Color Code – the colors that are used to mark out the type and approximate location of underground utility lines. To learn more about placing a location request, understanding a mark out, and other important safety topics, visit UDigNY.org.

UDig NY provides many additional resources to learn about safe digging best practices. These include the Certified Excavator in Safe Digging Best Practices (CEP) program, which is available online and at a variety of in-person events throughout the year. UDig NY also hosts the Damage Prevention Conference & Expo, a free conference open to excavators, utility operators, public officials, and other professionals. The 2023 Damage Prevention Conference & Expo will be held October 24 & 25 in Batavia, New York. To learn more about the conference, visit UDigNY.org/conference. Resources to teach children about safe digging, including games and activities, are available from UDig NY at kids.UDigNY.org.

About UDig NY

UDig NY is the place where all safe digging in Upstate New York starts. As the link between you and the member facility operators, UDig NY utilizes a contact center and industry-leading software – Exactix – to receive and transmit notifications of intent to dig in the form of underground utility location requests. UDig NY provides you with the tools to place and manage your location requests 24/7/365. UDig NY serves Upstate New York: the geographic region of New York State north of the New York City metropolitan area. New York City and Long Island are covered by New York 811.