Towering construction cranes may draw a lot of attention in Nashville’s building boom, but work being done underground has also greatly increased. And with that, there’s been a surge in damages caused by digging — due in part to homeowners and work crews who ignore the state’s 811 “call before your dig” hotline.
Figures from
Tennessee One Call show a failure to call the free 811 service — which locates underground utilities — in 43 percent of incidents in 2015. That’s a rate substantially higher than the national average of about 25 percent, as estimated by the Common Ground Alliance, an industry group.
And it’s a concern to Craig Ingram, public awareness manager for Tennessee One Call.
“It is surprising,” he said. “That would indicate either a lack of awareness of 811 and call-before-you dig, or the direct choice not to make that notification even though you’re aware.”
While a large share of work is happening without consulting 811, the pace of growth is so great that the service is still seeing an overall increase. Ingram said 811 surveyors have handled 15 percent more requests this year than last across Tennessee. The jump is more than 40 percent in Nashville.
“We definitely have more work going on,” he said. “Some of the feedback that we’re getting … is an increased number of damages.”
This burst of underground work comes at a time of several changes to Tennessee “dig law,” as it’s often called. Last year, state legislation changed how dig damages are investigated and penalized — including penalties for failure to call 811 — and Tennessee made damage reports mandatory to get a better grip on the frequency of incidents.
The mission, Ingram said, is to increase safety and reduce outages of lines that deliver natural gas, power, and phone and internet service.
A Strike A Day
Nearly every day in Middle Tennessee, someone strikes a natural gas pipe operated by Piedmont Gas.
In the Nashville area this year, the company has had to repair more than 350 hits, up from fewer than 300 in the same time frame in 2015. Repair costs will likely top $250,000.
“With the level of activity that’s going on, it’s an increase, certainly, from previous years,” said company spokesman David Trusty.
The good news, he said, is that about 80 percent of pipe damages are to the smallest type of lines, which serve individual homes.
“Look, before you do projects in your yard, where you’re going to plant a tree or plant a pretty good-sized shrub, you need to call 811 and have people come out and locate … your underground utilities,” Trusty said. “It is so easy to do. And it’s free.”
(
See the Tennessee 811 brochure for homeowners.)
Violations Investigated
Until last year, Tennessee did not have a central regulating body to record underground damages. State law changed that in May 2015, and now requires all but a few utility companies to participate in the 811 hotline.
Ingram, with Tennessee One Call, said that means contractors who call will now be better assured that surveyors know which utilities are buried where they’re digging.
And penalties have changed for those who don’t call, or who cause damage.
What used to be a criminal violation — rarely and perhaps never enforced, Ingram said — has now been shifted to a civil penalty. Violators can be ordered to undergo training, and be fined up to $5,000 for repeat offenses.
In its first year investigating cases, the board of the Underground Utility Damage Prevention has not yet handed down a penalty. About 50 complaints are under investigation, a spokesman said.
“It’s hard to say how those will turn out,” Ingram said, “but at least we’ve got progress in our state.”
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