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Water Utilities Trust adopts revisions to private development water and wastewater design manual
Summary
The trust approved updates to the Private Development Water and Wastewater Design Manual that change material standards (PVC for lines 24 inches and below), require grout filling for abandoned mains under roadways, move as-built submissions to Accela, tighten easement encroachment rules and add manhole/backwater protections when tapping large sewer mains.
The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust on November 18 approved a set of revisions to its Private Development Water and Wastewater Design Manual intended to clarify standards and protect utility assets.
Dustin Seagraves, the trust’s private development manager, told trustees the package is primarily editorial and technical updates after a reclassification a year ago, but it includes several substantive changes. "We updated and clarified some figures… and added some language and updated our easements to be able to help protect our assets," Seagraves said.
Among the changes, the manual now specifies polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe for lines 24 inches and under to address ductile-iron corrosion concerns. Seagraves said the department previously used a different threshold but changed the specification to ‘‘anything 24 inches and below will be PVC.’’
The revisions require grout filling of water mains abandoned in place when those mains lie beneath public roadways, a measure Seagraves said is intended to reduce the risk of roadway collapse or cavities. The manual also removes an outdated requirement to deliver as-built drawings on a CD/USB and instead directs submissions through the department’s Accela system so contractors use secure, account-based digital submittals.
Easement language was tightened to allow only nonstructural flat work (for example, patios without footings). Seagraves said items with footings, roof overhangs or structural elements—such as retaining walls or marquee signs—will no longer be permitted in utility easements because they impede maintenance access. He said homeowners who build unpermitted improvements in an easement generally bear responsibility for them and that staff will coordinate with legal counsel on individual cases.
For private fire service connections, the manual now requires property owners to install a private gate valve in addition to the required double-check valve so owners can safely isolate private fire lines without operating city valves.
When developers tap sewer mains larger than 12 inches, the manual now requires installation of a private manhole (equal to or higher than the existing manhole) and a backwater valve. Seagraves explained the private manhole acts as a vacuum breaker and air vent and the backwater valve provides extra protection against surcharge, helping prevent sewer gas or backflow from entering residences. He said the department will apply this requirement selectively, for example when a very large existing main runs through a property being developed.
Trustees asked whether developers had objected to the changes; Seagraves said the easement offsets and other revisions have been incorporated into drawings and conveyed to contractors and engineers over the last six months and that the department has not received significant pushback.
A trustee also asked about saddles for PVC taps; Seagraves confirmed the department requires stainless-steel saddles with stainless straps, or electrofusion-bonded fittings for HDPE where pipe-bursting methods are used.
After discussion, a trustee moved, the motion was seconded and trustees approved the manual revisions.
The meeting record shows the trustees approved the item and moved on to other agenda business. The transcript spells the department’s digital permitting system as "Acela"; that spelling has been corrected here to the commonly used vendor name Accela to reflect the system the city uses for permitting and digital submittals.
