CLEVELAND, Aug. 6, 2009 -- With Aug. 11 approaching, Dominion East Ohio hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder for customers to call 811 prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. Failure to call before digging results in more than 250,000 unintentional hits annually throughout the United States.

When calling 811, homeowners are connected to the Ohio Utility Protection Service (OUPS), the local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags or spray paint. This service is free of charge.

Additionally, with Aug. 11 falling on a Tuesday, anyone planning to dig on the weekend of Aug. 15-16 should call 811 during the first half of the week. OUPS requires at least 48 hours notice before the planned project start date.

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how big or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, putting in a fence, building a deck and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting.

On August 11( )and throughout the year, Dominion East Ohio reminds homeowners and contractors to call 811 before digging to eliminate the risk of striking an underground utility line. The message is simple--Call 811 before you dig.

Visit www.call811.com or www.oups.org for more information about 811 and the call-before-you-dig process.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

SOURCE Dominion East Ohio