Page 17 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2022 Issue 3

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“It puts us in a spot where we can help them. We don’t want people to spend money they don’t have to,” he said. “But we can go against who we need to when there are damages and not have the taxpayer pay the cost.”
Wesley said there are direct benefits to homeowners as well. There have been times when he’s received calls to locate for a homeowner preparing to install a fence — and found out the proposed site fell within the Drainage District’s servitude. He caught the mistake before work started, saving the homeowner the hassle and cost of having it moved after the fact.
Wesley said while there is a cost to be a member of Louisiana One Call, the savings have more than paid for it.
“At the end of the day, membership is a fraction of what it costs to repair damage if you don’t know who did it. You just have to fix it,” he said.
Once his crews started marking their infrastructure, they have seen a major reduction in damages. Following the APWA uniform color code, pink was adopted for marking the Drainage Districts servitudes. “It’s a little out of the ordinary, but everybody knows it’s us,” Wesley said. “If an excavator sees a pink line they know they are in a servitude.” Drainage lines are typically included with sanitary sewer’s green paint, but Wesley felt the majority of the locate marks would involve marking the district’s drainage servitudes that include open ditches and culverts. “This also minimizes confusion with the local sewer companies that use green paint”, Wesley said.
In the last year and a half, Wesley and his teammates have made new relationships with the contractors in the area who now feel more comfortable calling with questions or to request help on a dig.
And when things don’t go right, Wesley can go through his records to see who was working in the area when the damage occurred.
“Being a member has opened my eyes, and now I see the other side when we call for locates. We are getting more information about how to take precautions to prevent damage when our crews are using weed eaters, mowers and excavation equipment and how easy you can get hurt out there. Louisiana One Call has definitely opened my eyes to that,” Wesley said.
But the biggest reason to join Louisiana One Call is SAFETY!.
“Sometimes there’s a push to hurry up and get it done — no, I want every employee to go home at the end of the day. It’s so important for everybody to use Louisiana One Call before you dig. You don’t get a margin of error if you hit that power line. I don’t want to have to tell someone their husband or their wife is injured,” he said.
He said Louisiana One Call makes things fun with various events and gatherings throughout the year, but that only adds impact to the serious message of safety.
“Let’s be safe and save lives, but also have fun getting the message out to call before you dig,” he said.
“Our Districts management team, led by Wesley, demonstrates their commitment to safety by being a member of LA One Call. Not only are they identifying and preventing future drainage issues they are also focusing on employee and public safety”, said one Commissioner of the Drainage District.
2022, Issue 3
Louisiana 811
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