(a) A pipeline operator shall design, construct, repair, and maintain all regulated pipelines in accordance with this division, other city ordinances, rules and regulations, and state and federal laws.
(b) All new and relocated regulated pipelines must be located as near as practicable to existing regulated pipelines or other utilities unless the pipeline operator can demonstrate to the gas inspector that the alignment is infeasible.
(c) Nothing in this section grants permission to use any street or other public rights-of-way, utility easements, or city-owned property. To install, construct, maintain, repair, replace, modify, remove, or operate a regulated pipeline on, over, under, along, or across any affected city streets, sidewalks, alleys, or other city property, the pipeline operator shall obtain an easement or license.
(d) A pipeline operator must:
(1) not interfere with or damage existing utilities, including water, sewer, gas, storm drains, electric lines, or the facilities of public utilities or franchisees located on, under, or across street or other public rights-of-way;
(2) equip all regulated pipelines with:
(i) an automated pressure monitoring system that detects leaks and shuts off any line or any section of line that develops a leak; or
(ii) provide 24-hour pressure monitoring of the regulated pipeline system that provides immediate notice of any leak to the city’s emergency response providers;
(3) grade, level, and restore the affected property to the same surface condition, as nearly as practicable, as existed before construction activities were first commenced within 30 days after completion of the regulated pipeline; and
(4) backfill all trenches and compact such trenches to 95 percent standard density proctor in eight-inch lifts and construct the regulated pipeline so as to maintain a minimum depth of ten feet below the finished grade except in public rights-of-way, where minimum cover to the top of the pipe must be at least eight feet below the bottom of any adjacent roadside ditch. The gas inspector may require that sections of proposed regulated pipeline be constructed at deeper depths based upon future city infrastructure needs. During the backfill of any regulated pipeline excavations in open cut sections, the pipeline operator shall bury “buried pipeline” warning tape one foot above any regulated pipeline to warn future excavators of the presence of a buried regulated pipeline. The gas inspector may also require that a proposed or existing regulated pipeline be relocated if it conflict with the proposed alignment and depth of a gravity dependent utility.
(e) When the required pipeline records are submitted to the Texas Railroad Commission, the pipeline operator shall provide the gas inspector the following information:
(1) Global positioning system (GPS) information sufficient to locate the regulated pipelines, including the beginning and end points; sufficient points in between the regulated pipeline route; and the depth of cover information. This information must be submitted to the gas inspector in a format compatible with the city’s own GIS system.
(2) As-built or record drawings of the regulated pipelines. The accuracy of the record drawings must meet a survey level of one foot to 50,000 feet. The scale of the record drawings must be a minimum of one inch to 40 feet. The drawings must be provided in a digital file format with the location tied to at least one nearby GPS city monument. If the new regulated pipeline length exceeds 1,000 feet within the city, the regulated pipeline must be tied to at least two GPS city monuments.
(3) The origin point and the destination of the regulated pipeline.
(4) Engineering plans, drawings, and maps with summarized specifications showing the horizontal location, covering depths, and location of shutoff valves of the subject regulated pipeline. The drawings must show the location of other regulated pipelines and utilities that are crossed or paralleled within 15 feet of the regulated pipeline right-of-way.
(5) Detailed cross-section drawings for all public rights-of-ways and easement crossings on city property as permitted by the city.
(6) A list of the names and mailing addresses of all the residents, property owners, and tenants adjacent to the regulated pipeline construction.
(f) Changes in any of the contact information required as part of the regulated pipeline permit application must be provided to the gas inspector and the fire marshal before the contact information is changed. (Ord. 29228)