Yes, we are seeing more outages that happen after the public forgets to call 811. In one day alone last summer my crew repaired the damage from 2 of these dig-in accidents. 811 is a free service in Kootenai County that locates underground wires and lines up to KEC’s meter. Call 811 at least 48 hours before digging or excavating.
After making this call the locations of underground utility-owned wires and lines will be marked. This prevents digging equipment from hitting or cutting off power, water, phone, cable, or gas lines. Accidental contact with a line can result in serious injury and possibly death. Damages to these lines can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and could include fines and repair costs.
Car vs. pole accidents are another cause of large and lengthy outages. Sometimes the outage can be isolated, and members can be served from another substation during repairs. If the pole is significantly damaged and needs to be replaced, it is costly and can take a crew of 8 to 10 hours to repair.