Navigating the High Seas of Alberta’s Digging Season

Summer is coming to an end sooner than any of us would like. My dedicated colleagues who process, troubleshoot and facilitate locate requests are preparing for the inevitable final wave as Albertans rush to complete projects across the province.

You can pretty much set your watch to the ebb and flow of our digging season. We set the egg-timer to ring in April when the tidal wave, sometimes a tsunami, of locate requests begin. A few months later in early July, when the kids are out of school and homeowners scoot to the mountains for much-needed rest and relaxation, we shift to low tide. By mid-to-late August, when the lengthy summer days shorten, and homeowners return to their households, the next wave of projects begin – a surge that usually sustains to the end of the digging season.

As much as the entirety of the digging season predictably flows, so too does each week within the season. Mondays are high tide and as the week progresses, the flow of locate requests slowly rolls back out. On Mondays in May, we could have 200 damage prevention associates working steadily, but we’d be laying off 85 per cent of them by Tuesday afternoon. Come Thursday afternoon, the busy hum of the Contact Centre has diminished considerably. 

Scheduling staff to meet the demand is challenging but after 38 years, we’ve learned a thing or two; and, the shift to the web (ClickBeforeYouDig) has been a tremendous boost to help manage the volume of work. It means you don’t have to wait until Monday morning to request a locate over the phone – you can do it online 24-7-365. 

If you do choose to request a locate by phone, you’re welcome to do so, but please be patient. Over the next month or so, you might find that you’re waiting a little longer than normal to place a locate request by phone or to speak with someone for assistance. Please know we are doing our best. Every single person contacting us deserves and receives our undivided attention. Our lives depend on it.

- Mike Sullivan