April is Safe Digging Month.
Ameren Illinois is sharing the importance of calling 8-1-1 before digging or driving a stake into the ground.
It says every six minutes someone contacts an underground utility because they didn't make the call.
Ameren's supervisor for gas public awareness Jake Dukett says this a growing concern because of the fiber boom.
"With the infrastructure bill that stems from lessons learned during COVID, we have a lot of fiber optics projects going on around the country. So, that's increasing the amount of work and the amount of contractors out there working."
Dukett says calling 8-1-1 before you dig is not only a wise decision, it's the law.
He says failing to do so can lead to power or gas outages, or worse, it can lead to injuries and even deaths.
