Covina Municipal Code Art. VIII Special Construction Standards – Underground Pipelines

When a one-call notification system is operational in the territory of the city, no person shall maintain and operate a pipeline designed to carry hazardous substances below the surface of a highway unless said person is a member of the system. Such person shall provide to the director such proof as required that said person is a member of the system in Los Angeles County.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

Except as provided in CMC § 11.08.580, the following minimum depths of cover below existing, finished or proposed gutter grade shall be required for all underground pipelines in the roadway area:

A. Local Streets.

1. Twenty-four inches for service pipelines;

2. Thirty inches for pipelines transporting nonhazardous substances;

3. Thirty inches for all electrical facilities;

4. Forty-two inches for all pipelines transporting hazardous substances.

B. Major Arterials.

1. Twenty-four inches for service pipelines;

2. Thirty-six inches for pipelines transporting nonhazardous substances;

3. Forty-two inches for electrical facilities;

4. Forty-two inches for pipelines transporting hazardous substances.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

A. After initial installation under this chapter of any pipeline used or to be used to carry hazardous substances, such pipeline shall be subject to a hydrostatic pressure test as provided herein before it is placed in operation. The duration of the hydrostatic test for this purpose shall not be less than 24 hours.

B. After repair or replacement of any pipeline used or to be used to carry hazardous substances, the affected portion of the pipeline shall be subjected to a hydrostatic pressure test as provided herein before placing in operation. The duration of the hydrostatic test for this purpose shall be not less than 24 hours. However, no such test is required for a minor repair which does not require removal of the pipeline from operation. If the affected section is isolated and tested hydrostatically, pressure test of the tie-in welds is not required; however, tie-in welds shall be examined by radiographic means.

C. No pipeline subject to this chapter used or to be used to carry hazardous substances and over 10 years of age shall be operated beyond the successive ensuing 12-month period of time from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter unless retested annually by a hydrostatic pressure test or other test means acceptable to the director. The duration of the periodic test, either initial or retest, shall not be less than four hours.

D. Each pressure test, either initial or retest, shall be in accordance with the American National Standard Institute's Code for Pressure Piping, Liquid Petroleum Transportation Piping Systems (ANSI B 31.4) in its latest revision. The director may authorize the use of a liquid petroleum that does not vaporize rapidly (flash point over 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 66 degrees centigrade) as a test medium. Pressure tests after initial installation of pipelines and before they are placed in operation shall show no unexplained loss. Annual or retest pressure tests shall not show an hourly loss, for each section of the pipeline under test at the time, in excess of either 10 gallons, or the sum of one gallon and an amount computed at a rate in gallons per mile equivalent to one-tenth of the nominal internal diameter of the pipe.

E. The director may grant administrative waiver or other relief to an owner or operator under this chapter as to the periodic pressure testing of any pipelines as herein provided if owner or operator can demonstrate that such testing will cause the unreasonable unscheduled shutdown of plants, terminals, refineries or other facilities of which such pipelines constitute an integral part.

F. In addition to the foregoing requirements, any pipeline authorized by this chapter and subject to pressure testing shall be subjected to a pressure test by the owner or operator at any time as may be required by the director in the interest of public safety.

G. Within 30 calendar days after completion of any test made pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, the owner or operator shall submit a certified report for the director's review. The report shall show the date of test, description of portion of pipeline tested to include the identification of the right-of-way within which the pipeline is located, and the test data. The report shall be sufficient in detail to permit analysis of test results and determination of compliance with the applicable provisions of this chapter or any other applicable ordinance, rule or regulation. The report shall also contain any other test information as may be specifically requested by the director.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

Isolation valves shall be installed on each new main at locations along the pipeline system that will minimize damage from accidental product discharge. Said location shall be appropriate for terrain and the population density of the area.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

As provided in the American National Standard Institute's Code for Pressure Piping, Liquid Petroleum Transportation Piping Systems (ANSI B 31.4) in its latest revision, a cathodic protection system shall be installed for all new ferrous pipelines used to carry hazardous substances other than utility gases in order to mitigate corrosion deterioration that might result in structural failure. The cathodic protection system for all new ferrous pipelines carrying utility gases shall be installed in accordance with General Order No. 112-C of the Public Utilities Commission of the state of California. A test procedure shall be developed by the owner or operator to determine whether adequate cathodic protection has been achieved and submitted to the director for approval. Reports of cathodic protection evaluation in accordance with such approved procedure shall be made available annually for review by the director.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

A. Each owner or operator of a pipeline used or to be used to convey hazardous substances shall have a written emergency plan approved and on file with the director and city fire department. The plan shall be in accordance with the American National Standard Institute's Code for Pressure Piping, Liquid Petroleum Transportation Piping Systems (ANSI B 31.4) in its latest revision.

B. The plan shall include but not be limited to the following elements:

1. A "liaison" element for intercommunications between public agencies and pipeline owners or operators to provide for prompt coordinated remedial action, and the dissemination of information as to the location and ownership identification of pipelines based on the best available records and plans;

2. A "spill contingency" element to limit the extent of accidental product discharge by which pipeline owners or operators shall involve themselves in a cooperative pipeline leak notification emergency action system;

3. A "leak detection" element by which the pipeline owners or operators can monitor the flow of their product and can divert, reduce or stop the flow of said product at the first indication of a product leak;

4. A "first-on-scene emergency containment" element, in cooperation with other pipeline owners or operators, to be utilized until arrival of the affected pipeline's owners or operators. "First-on-scene" costs shall be borne by the owner or operator of the facility, and shall be reimbursed to the organization effecting the emergency containment.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

A minimum depth of cover of 18 inches below existing or proposed edge of gutter grade shall be permitted for cable television and telephone conduits, and to be placed in existing roadways as follows:

A. Mainline cable conduit in a four- to five-inch-wide trench located adjacent to the concrete gutter or three feet from the edge of the curb if no gutter exists.

B. Service cable conduits crossing the roadway from the mainline to serve users on the opposite side of local streets when installed by an acceptable boring method.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

The director shall require all lines for the transmission and distribution of standard television or audio signals to be placed underground in highways when all power and telephone lines are underground, and shall also require underground installation in all instances except where the applicant provides satisfactory proof or permission to use existing pole lines or where the director finds that other conditions render underground installation impractical or infeasible. Permission to remove or disturb such monuments, reference points or bench marks shall only be granted upon condition that the person applying for such permission shall pay all expenses incident to the proper replacement of the monument by the director or owning agency.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)

A. Permission to abandon a facility or encroachment without removing shall be subject to removal within one year after the effective date of the abandonment if the facility or encroachment may interfere with a present or future public improvement. If it is determined that the facility or encroachment should be removed, the permittee or its successors in interest shall remove it at its expense or pay the city for the cost of such removal. Permittee shall leave any abandoned facility or encroachment in a safe condition.

B. In addition to the foregoing, abandonment in place of a pipeline used to convey hazardous substances will be subject to the following requirements:

1. The pipeline shall be thoroughly purged of liquids and vapors and filled with an inert material that will remain in a solid or semisolid state if any portion of the pipeline is cut or removed in the future;

2. The permittee shall file a certificate with the director that said requirements have been complied with and the abandoned pipeline has been left in a safe condition.

(Ord. 10-1987 § 2, 2010)