Atmos Energy Celebrates 811 Day with Gold Cup of Safe Digging

Award recognizes excavators who prioritize safe digging and raises awareness for Call 811

DALLAS – Aug. 11, 2026 – Atmos Energy celebrates National 811 Day annually on Aug. 11 (8/11), raising awareness for the importance of safe digging practices and procedures across the 1,400 communities we are honored to serve. Since 2024, Atmos Energy has elevated its 811 Day efforts by creating The Gold Cup of Safe Digging, an award presented to excavators with an outstanding record of safety.

“Damage to our pipelines from excavation remains a primary safety risk,” said Eva Hummel, Atmos Energy public affairs manager. “The Gold Cup of Safe Digging celebrates and shows appreciation for construction companies, landscapers, municipalities and other excavators who take great care in protecting underground utility lines. We sincerely appreciate the winners for their ongoing partnership in natural gas safety.”

This week, Atmos Energy proudly presents The Gold Cup of Safe Digging to ten winners in Texas, including:

Moss Utilities, Dallas, Texas

National OnDemand, Greenville, Texas

Tenex Construction, Forney, Texas

Effective damage prevention helps to minimize harm to people, property, and the environment by proactively identifying potential risks and implementing solutions to avoid incidents before they occur. Contacting 811 is a critical component of damage prevention efforts, helping to confirm that digging projects are conducted safely and without disrupting essential utility services. Striking even a single line can lead to injury, repair costs, inconvenient service outages, and fines.

State laws require homeowners, excavation companies, and contractors to contact 811 a few business days before digging. When using this free service, the caller is connected to a local call center that notifies area utility companies of the location where digging will occur. Professional locators then arrive at the digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both. As the number of locate tickets across our service territories has remained steady due to strong economic development and population growth, our damage prevention awareness efforts have resulted in a decrease in the number of damages caused by third parties per locate ticket.

For more information about 811 and safe digging practices, visit 811beforeyoudig.com or the Atmos Energy website for safety tips – and become a safety ambassador by signing the Call 811 Pledge.

Press release submitted by Eva Hummel, Manager Public Affairs, Atmos Energy Corporation. 

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