Iowa One Call is taking reservations for its January and March Excavation Safety Awareness Program around the state. There are 17 dates and locations from which to choose. The event is free.

For all meetings, registration will begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch served at 12 p.m., and a presentation at 12:45 p.m. The meetings will close at 1:45 p.m. with a Q&A session and raffle drawing.

This year, event organizers will:

• Provide an overview of Iowa One Call protocol
• Focus on the importance of communication lines
• Educate attendees on private facilities
• Discuss best practices for communication between contractor and locating firms
• Instruct on how to effectively use NextGen for accurate and timely locates.

For Iowa One Call to continue providing complimentary meals and door prizes at the meetings, all attendees who preregister for a meeting must commit to attending the meeting or provide advance notice of any foreseeable cancellations. Event organizers ask that organizations refrain from registering a large number of personnel if it is at all likely that some may not be able to attend. Additionally, all preregistered personnel should mark their calendars accordingly to avoid scheduling conflicts. Event organizers would appreciate at least two-weeks advance notice of any cancellations. If it is known at any time, however, that a pre-registrant is unable to attend, event organizers ask that you notify us as soon as possible.

Here is the Link to registration page.

IAMU encourages people to make a free call 2 days before digging to know what’s below

With Aug. 11 almost here, the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder for residents to call 811 (or visit http://iowaonecall.com/) prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. Every few minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.

IAMU encourages its members to observe 811 Day and spread the message about the importance of calling (or clicking) before you dig. IAMU will be sharing a social media post for 811 Day on its Facebook page. You may share it on your Facebook page from the IAMU page. If you would like the post ahead of time, download the image below.

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to 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, spray paint or both.

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

Visit iowaonecall.com for more information about 811 and safe digging practices.