JULIE, Inc. Reminds Homeowners to Call 8-1-1 Before Any Type of Digging Project in Illinois

JOLIET, Ill., Aug. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- August 11th and August 2011 (8/11) serve as natural reminders for homeowners and professional contractors in Illinois to simply call JULIE, Inc. (JULIE) at 8-1-1 prior to any type of digging project to avoid personal injury and repair costs and to keep communities free of utility damage and inconvenient outages. This is a free call and service.

A recent report released by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) indicated an underground utility line is damaged during digging projects once every three minutes in the United States.  The same report found that 34 percent of underground utility lines are damaged because this free 8-1-1 call to state one-call systems, such as JULIE in Illinois, was never made.

"There is no reason to take a chance when it comes to safety.  With more utility companies delivering critical services underground, homeowners and contractors are encouraged to simply call 8-1-1," said Kevin Chmura, director of public relations for JULIE, Inc.  

Even simple projects like planting a tree or shrub to more complex projects like installing a deck, fence or home addition require a call because you never know what's down below. Beneath what you may think is the perfect spot may be a bunch of different types of utility lines that if hit while digging can cause all sorts of damage and affect service to you or others and lead to costly repairs. All this can be avoided by contacting JULIE and having a professional locator from member facility owner companies come out and mark the approximate location of the utility lines on your property before you dig. (JULIE personnel do not perform locating or marking services).

JULIE's helpful call center agents are available to receive and process requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 8-1-1. E-Request is also a popular, new option for homeowners who prefer to enter their own utility locate requests via www.illinois1call.com.

Based in Joliet, the not-for-profit organization covers the state of Illinois, outside the city of Chicago, and annually receives 1 million locate requests. Visit www.illinois1call.com for more information about JULIE and safe digging practices.

SOURCE JULIE, Inc.