Bill Text: VA HB1230 | 2010 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act; sewer laterals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-04-07 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0205) [HB1230 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2010-HB1230-Chaptered.html
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That §§56-265.15 and 56-265.32 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 56-265.19:1 as follows: §56-265.15. Definitions; calculation of time periods. A. As used in this chapter: "Abandoned" means no longer in service and physically disconnected from a portion of the underground utility line that is in use for storage or conveyance of service. "Commission" means the State Corporation Commission. "Contract locator" means any person contracted by an operator specifically to determine the approximate horizontal location of the operator's utility lines that may exist within the area specified by a notice served on a notification center. "Damage" means any impact upon or removal of support from an underground facility as a result of excavation or demolition which according to the operating practices of the operator would necessitate the repair of such facility. "Demolish" or "demolition" means any operation by which a structure or mass of material is wrecked, razed, rendered, moved, or removed by means of any tools, equipment, or discharge of explosives which could damage underground utility lines. "Designer" means any licensed professional
designated by the project owner who designs government projects, commercial
projects, residential projects consisting of "Emergency" means a sudden or unexpected occurrence involving a clear and imminent danger, demanding immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services. "Excavate" or "excavation" means any operation in which earth, rock, or other material in the ground is moved, removed, or otherwise displaced by means of any tools, equipment, or explosives and includes, without limitation, grading, trenching, digging, ditching, dredging, drilling, augering, tunneling, scraping, cable or pipe plowing and driving, wrecking, razing, rendering, moving, or removing any structure or mass of material. "Extraordinary circumstances" means floods, snow, ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters. "Hand digging" means any excavation involving nonmechanized tools or equipment. Hand digging includes, but is not limited to, digging with shovels, picks, and manual post hole diggers, vacuum excavation or soft digging. "Notification center" means an organization whose membership is open to all operators of underground facilities located within the notification center's designated service area, which maintains a data base, provided by its member operators, that includes the geographic areas in which its member operators desire transmissions of notices of proposed excavation, and which has the capability to transmit, within one hour of receipt, notices of proposed excavation to member operators by teletype, telecopy, personal computer, or telephone. "Notify," "notice" or "notification" means the completed delivery of information to the person to be notified, and the receipt of same by such person in accordance with this chapter. The delivery of information includes, but is not limited to, the use of any electronic or technological means of data transfer. "Operator" means any person who owns, furnishes or transports materials or services by means of a utility line. "Person" means any individual, operator, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, municipality, or other political subdivision, governmental unit, department or agency, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof. "Private sewer lateral" means a privately owned, legally authorized utility line that transports wastewater from one or more buildings to a sewer system utility line owned by a sewer system operator. "Private water lateral" means a privately owned, legally authorized utility line that supplies water from a water system utility line owned by a water system operator to one or more buildings or properties. "Sewer system" means a system of utility lines used for conveying wastewater, and includes sewer system laterals but does not include private sewer laterals. "Sewer system lateral" means a lateral utility line located in the public right-of-way or public sewer easement, owned by a sewer system operator, and used to transport wastewater to the operator's main sewer line. "Sewer system operator" means an operator of a sewer system. "Soft digging" means any excavation using tools or equipment that utilize air or water pressure as the direct means to break up soil or earth for removal by vacuum excavation. "Special project notice" means a valid notice to the notification center by an excavator covering a specific, unique or long-term project. "Utility line" means any item of public or private property which is buried or placed below ground or submerged for use in connection with the storage or conveyance of water, sewage, telecommunications, electric energy, cable television, oil, petroleum products, gas, or other substances, and includes but is not limited to pipes, sewers, combination storm/sanitary sewer systems, conduits, cables, valves, lines, wires, manholes, attachments, and those portions of poles below ground. The term "sewage" as used herein does not include any gravity storm drainage systems. Except for any publicly owned gravity sewer system within a county which has adopted the urban county executive form of government, the term "utility line" does not include any gravity sewer system or any combination gravity storm/sanitary sewer system within any counties, cities, towns or political subdivisions constructed or replaced prior to January 1, 1995. No excavator shall be held liable for the cost to repair damage to any such systems constructed or replaced prior to January 1, 1995, unless such systems are located in accordance with §56-265.19. "Water system" means a system of utility lines used for supplying water, and does not include private water laterals. "Water system operator" means an operator of a water system. "Willful" means an act done intentionally, knowingly, and purposely, without justifiable excuse, as distinguished from an act done carelessly, thoughtlessly, heedlessly or inadvertently. "Working day" means every day, except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal state and national holidays. B. Unless otherwise specified, all time periods used in this chapter shall be calculated from the time of the original notification to the notification center as provided in §56-265.17. In addition, all time periods exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and legal state and national holidays. §56-265.19:1. Private sewer laterals and sewer system laterals. A. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the protection of sewer system laterals and private sewer laterals shall be implemented as provided in this section. When an excavation is to take place within a public right-of-way or public sewer easement, the sewer system operator shall exercise reasonable care to mark the approximate horizontal location of sewer system laterals within the public right-of-way or public sewer easement as provided in §56-265.19. B. When (i) an excavation is to take place outside the public right-of-way or public sewer easement, (ii) the excavation involves the installation or maintenance of gas or electric utility lines by trenchless technology, (iii) the potential for a conflict with a sewer lateral exists, and (iv) sewer system laterals are located in the public right-of-way: 1. The sewer system operator shall exercise reasonable care to mark the approximate horizontal location of sewer system laterals by: a. Marking the location of the sewer system lateral where it meets the edge of the right-of-way or public sewer easement, if known; or b. If the location described in subdivision B 1 a is unknown, marking the location where the sewer system lateral connects to the sewer system main. 2. When the sewer system laterals have been marked in accordance with subdivision B 1 and the excavator reasonably concludes that a private sewer lateral may be impacted by the planned excavation based upon visual evidence, knowledge of the proposed excavation site, or other information available to the excavator, the excavator shall exercise reasonable care to protect the private sewer lateral. For purposes of this subdivision, reasonable care includes the following actions: a. Reviewing information provided by the private sewer lateral owner; b. Meeting with the sewer system operator on-site, if the sewer system operator has additional information to provide about the location of private sewer laterals; or c. Conducting a visual inspection of the proposed excavation site in an effort to determine the probable path of the sewer lateral. C. When (i) an excavation is to take place within or outside the public right-of-way or public sewer easement, (ii) the excavation involves the installation or maintenance of gas or electric utility lines by trenchless technology, (iii) the potential for a conflict with a sewer lateral exists, and (iv) private sewer laterals are located in the public right-of-way or easement: 1. The sewer system operator shall assist the excavator by one of the following methods, unless the operator marks private sewer laterals in the manner required for its sewer system laterals under subsection B: a. Provide copies of the best reasonably available records regarding the location of the private sewer laterals by electronic message, mail, facsimile, or other delivery method. If an excavation affects 25 or more private sewer laterals, the sewer system operator's response shall be in accordance with the timelines set forth in §56-265.17:3. If the provision of records required by this subsection imposes an unreasonable burden or substantial cost upon a sewer system operator, the excavator and the sewer system operator shall endeavor in good faith to reach an agreement to provide the sewer system operator with additional time to provide the records or any other mutually agreeable accommodation. b. Provide the best reasonably available records on the Internet or another readily accessible electronic system in order that the records may be retrieved by the excavator from a remote location. If the sewer system operator has implemented such a system, then the sewer system operator shall have no further obligations to provide records under subdivision C 1 a. c. If the sewer system operator has no such records, but has additional information to provide about the location of private sewer laterals, then the sewer system operator shall notify the excavator of such information and, upon request, either meet with the excavator on-site or convey such information to the excavator. 2. When the records have been made available in accordance with subdivision C 1 and the excavator reasonably concludes that a private sewer lateral may be impacted by the planned excavation based upon visual evidence, knowledge of the proposed excavation site, or other information available to the excavator, the excavator shall exercise reasonable care to protect the private sewer lateral. For purposes of this subdivision, reasonable care includes the following actions: a. Reviewing information provided by the sewer system operator; b. Reviewing information provided by the private sewer lateral owner; c. Meeting with the sewer system operator on-site if the sewer system operator has additional information to provide about the location of private sewer laterals; or d. Conducting a visual inspection of the proposed excavation site in an effort to determine the probable path of the sewer lateral. D. Sewer system operators shall mark utility lines, other than sewer system laterals and private sewer laterals, as provided by other sections of this chapter. E. Water system operators shall mark water system utility lines as provided by other sections of this chapter, except that a water system operator shall not be responsible for marking private water laterals. F. Records regarding the location of private sewer laterals provided on the Internet or otherwise made accessible by an electronic system pursuant to subdivision C 1 b shall also be accessible to other public utilities and cable operators or excavators working on their behalf for purposes of compliance with this chapter. G. In all excavations, the excavator shall exercise reasonable care to protect underground utility lines. §56-265.32. Commission to impose civil penalties for certain violations; establishment of Underground Utility Damage Prevention Special Fund. A. The Commission may, by judgment entered after a hearing on
notice duly served on any person not less than B. If the Commission asserts there is recurring noncompliance with any of the provisions of this chapter by a county, city, town, or other political subdivision, the Commission, upon written notice to the chairman of such operator's board or, in the case of a city or town, the mayor of such operator's council, and to such operator's chief executive officer, may require a written response by such person or his designee. Such response shall be made within 30 days of the operator's receipt of written notice from the Commission. The response shall confirm that the operator will comply promptly or explain why it disputes any assertion by the Commission of noncompliance. If the operator is not able to return to compliance promptly, the operator shall describe its plan to achieve compliance in a corrective action plan to be submitted to the Commission no later than 60 days after the receipt of the written notice. Following submittal of a corrective action plan, the Commission may convene a hearing for the purpose of receiving additional evidence, determining whether noncompliance has occurred, and determining further suggested corrective action. The Commission may also convene such a hearing if the operator fails to provide a written response or a corrective action plan as required by this subsection, or provides a response that disputes the Commission's assertions. Nothing in this section shall limit the Commission's powers under this chapter with respect to persons who are not counties, cities, towns, or political subdivisions of the Commonwealth. C. The Underground Utility Damage Prevention Special
Fund (hereinafter referred to as
2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on January 1, 2011. |
