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THE OFTEN FORGOTTEN UNDERGROUND WORLD
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TRENCHLESS INSTALLATIONS UNMARKED SEWER LINES

• AGA Distribution Transmission Engineering
  Committee
• Mike Kemper, NPL Construction Company
• May 13, 2008

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WHO IS NPL?

• Core Business
• The safe installation maintenance of reliable
  energy distribution systems
• Over 500 crews
• Over 2500 employees
• Operate in 20 states
• One of the largest users of
• One-Call Centers in U.S

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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NEW AND REPLACEMENT FOOTAGE
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CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

• CNP

• DEA

• MERC

• GMG

• Nicor

• EAS

ATO
NVP

• BGE

• BKH

• NI

• NI

• SWG

• STR

Peoples

• NI

• WGL

• XEL

• DUK

• SWG

• KGS

• KGS

• SWG

NI

• UNS

• SWG

• ONG

• APS

• SWG

• AGL

• SWG

• ATMOS

• ATO

SOCAL
SRP

• CPS

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WHAT IS TRENCHLESS TECH?
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HOW ABOUT THESE?
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DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?
What could happen?
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HeadlineMarch 13, 2006Woman, Granddaughters
Barely Escape Explosion

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House Explosion
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HOW OFTEN DOES IT HAPPEN?
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MINNESOTA

• 27 cross bores reported to the Minnesota Public
  Utilities Commission in a 6 month time
  period.

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PALO ALTO, CA

• 4 blocks inspected

• 24 cross bores found

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ANOTHER PROJECT

• 11,000 sewer laterals inspected

• 250 cross bores identified

• 2 were cross bored

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ANOTHER CITY

• Just over 400 gas cross bores discovered over 200
  miles of sewer main lines
• One cross bore located at a school
• Averaged 2 cross bores per mile
• The utility mailed notices to over 50,000
  residences asking them to first call a special
  phone number if they had a sewer backup.

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ANOTHER CITY

• Averaged 3 cross bores per mile of sewer main

• One cross bore located at a hospital

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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CGA CONFERENCEMARCH, 2008

• How many of you have experienced crossbores?
• 2/3 of attendees raised their hands
• CGAs Locating Sewer Service Laterals Committee
  reached a stalemate and closed the initiative.
  The team, however, believes this is an important
  issue and does not want to be satisfied with the
  status quo.

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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LEGISLATION STATUS

• Most states already require some level of
  locating by the sewer owner/operator
• Most states need to enforce sewer locating laws
• In the meantime

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NOW WHAT DO WE DO?

• Reduction of risk can be achieved with the use of
  relatively new methods for both new installations
  and legacy installations.

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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INSTALLATION SOLUTIONS

• All underground facilities, including sewer
  lines, should be marked by the entity that
  receives revenue from the facility
• All new sewer laterals should be installed with a
  location device (i.e. tracer wire, marker balls,
  etc.)
• All new gas lines should be installed only after
  verifying all utilities, especially unmarked
  sewer lines

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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AVAILABLE

• One major utilitys standard
• Dukes policies
• NPLs Policy 22 at www.gonpl.com
• CBSAs Guidelines for Identification of Legacy
  Cross Bores

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ONE STANDARD

• Verification is required using any or all
• Check manholes for depth and direction
• Fish tape with Sonde transmitter
• Excavate 1 gt depth of lateral near start and end
  of bore
• GPR
• Camera before/after bore
• Listening device required during bore
• Air horn before pipe is pulled
• Pre and post construction door hangers

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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DUKES POLICIES

• Pre-Construction Required pre-locating before
• any excavation
• Post Camera Required to audit that there are no
  
• crossbores before ANY GAS UP
• Contract line items to pre-locate (often via
  camera)
• and post-camera all sewer mains and laterals,
  
• services and storm drains
• NPL completed 600 of almost 10,000 NPL Bore
• Cards in 2007

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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CAMERA METHODOLOGY

• Trunk line with jump-off push cameras from house
  to street.

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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CROSSBORE
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LITERATURE UNDER DEVELOPMENT

• Guidelines for locating prior to and verification
  post construction
• Sample Legacy Inspection Contract
• Equipment manufacturers notices
• Sample ordinances
• Requiring Drain Cleaner training
• Requiring Accessibility to Sewer Maps

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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LEGACY SOLUTIONS

• Educate local plumbers, rental stores, mobile
  home park owners to look before they root
• Find installed problems before they find us.

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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A CASE STUDY

• An inspection program to inspect sewer mains and
  laterals for possible cross bores
• 4 priorities identified
• Mobile Home Parks
• Multi-Family
• Schools
• Hospitals

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4 METHODS USED

• Maps and Records review eliminated
• Wherever evidence of open trench installation
  (documented and field)
• Facilities installed after no blind bore policy
  began
• Electronic separation
• Electronically locate depth and run of sewer
  lateral and gas service/main
• Separation greater than 18 required
• Video past intersection point
• Used ProPipe and Orbit to complete pilot
• Dig and Inspect
• As needed

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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VIDEO INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY
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VIDEO INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY

• ProPipe mainline lateral launcher
• 8 and larger diameter lines
• Self propelled
• Capable of inspecting 1600 (800 each direction)
  of sewer main and 80 of any sewer service along
  the way
• Audio and video capable

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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LATERAL MAIN CAMERASINTO SEWER
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LOCATING UNDERWAY
The Launch
There it goes
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INSPECTION VIDEO RECORDING UNDERWAY
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VIDEO INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY

• ProPipe hand operated camera
• Typically used on lines 6 and smaller
• Range 200ft
• Audio and video capable

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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VIDEO INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY
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2004 PILOT

• Started in August, 2004
• Late in 2004 a committee was formed to develop
  program protocol company wide
• 13,612 inspections in 2004
• 4 cross bores discovered

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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2005 PILOT RAMP-UP

• Developed and implemented public education
  communications program
• Presentations given to over 130 residential and
  commercial plumbing contractors.
• Information mailed to all underground contractors
  state wide
• 44,229 inspections completed in 2005 with 40
  cross bores discovered (.09)

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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TODAY?

• As of December 2006, 91,136 inspections in high
  priority areas of the project found 56 cross
  bores (.06)
• Started single family residence inspections in
  January, 2007
• As of October 2007, 18,894 inspections completed
  with no cross bores found

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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WHATS NEXT?

• Based on experience in the first four priority
  areas, the potential exists for discovery of
  additional cross bores at single family
  residences
• Potential of up to 150,000 inspections in known
  replacement areas

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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CURRENT STATS

• As of today
• About 300,000 investigations
• 103 cross bores found (.03)
• 76 found during the Program
• 27 found by plumbers/Roto Rooter

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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PILOT AREARECOMMENDATION

• Continue Program in single family residential
  areas and other replacement areas
• Continue Public Education Program with area
  plumbing contractors

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION

• Expand the Program to the entire company

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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Houston, we have a problem

• -Tom Hanks in
• Apollo 13

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LOW FREQUENCYHIGH SEVERITY
THE EXPOSURE
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The bottom line is we have time bombs that
need to be defused in the interest of public
safety. --Samuel T. Ariaratnam,
Ph.D.,P.E. Associate Professor Del Webb
School Construction Arizona State University
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Luck is not a strategy

• Steve Ewing
• Past Chairman AGA
• Vice Chair, DTE Energy

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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GOAL PROTECT ALL PARTIES

• Public

• Contractor

• Owner/Operator

Safety. Quality. Best Cost.
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QUESTIONS?
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