Don't be a statistic. Be smart and follow the law. Call 811 three business days before you dig. It's a free service!
Please click here for a great video to be shown to kids regarding underground lines and calling 811.
If you are digging, or working near overhead electrical wires, Michigan State Law Public Act 53 of 1974, requires that you call the MISS DIG System at 811 or 800.482.7171 three (3) full working days before your work begins.
MISS DIG IS A FREE SERVICE! The Holland Board of Public Works is a member utility. MISS DIG notifies us where and when you will be working. We will mark our utilities with paint or flags so that you do not damage them and or harm yourself. MISS DIG does not mark utilities; Individual utilities mark their own facilities.
In 2007, a national three-digit number, 811, was introduced to connect people directly to their state’s one-call system. To learn more, please visit call811.com.
The Holland Board of Public Works locates the following utilities:
Water: Public water mains and private water services to the valve that is near the edge of the road right of way. These are located using blue markers.
Sanitary Sewer: Public sanitary sewer mains and private sanitary sewer services as close to the edge of the right of way if possible. Many times we do not have much more information than the connection location at the public main. These are located using brown markers.
Storm Sewer: Public storm sewer mains. These are located using green markers.
Fiber Optics: Underground Holland Board of Public Works owned facilities will be located. These are located using orange markers.
Electric: Underground Holland Board of Public Works owned facilities, including underground private electric services to the meter. These are located using red markers.
Gas Lines: The Gas Pipeline owned by the Holland Board of Public Works, feeding our gas-fired generators, will be located using yellow markers.
Parents: Please talk to your children about the importance of these flags and the protection of the utilities and utility workers. We do not like to see the flags pulled out until the excavation is complete.
Homeowners Locate Request Program
If you are planning to dig on your property, and would like to make an on-line request to have your underground utilities marked, please go to MISS DIG's website.
The Holland Board of Public Works does NOT locate privately owned utilities beyond the points noted above. Upon request, we will locate additional utilities for a fee of $55.00 per hour, with a one hour minimum. Please fill out and submit the Authorization Form to waterengineer@hollandbpw.com.
Additional Information...
CGA Best Practices Manual
MITA Best Practices
Common Ground Alliance (CGA)
Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA)
What Lies Beneath: Safe Underground Utility Digging (30 minute informational video on protecting our underground utilities presented by Oakland University School of Health Sciences and John Carlo, Inc).