Installation of pipe

official summaryN.J.A.C. 14:7-1.11 details requirements for pipe installation. The proposed amendments would amend the section to include requirements for the use of flowable fill and clarify the use and size of tracer wire and warning tape.#

adopted amendment14:7-1.11 Installation of pipe (a)-(d) (No change.) (e) Where a pipeline operator uses flowable fill as a backfill material in lieu of clean soil, the flowable fill shall not come in direct contact with the pipe and must maintain a minimum of 24 inches of separation from the pipe. (f) (No change in text.) (g) Effective July 1, 2023, a pipeline operator shall install tracer wire on all uncased portions of new or replacement plastic pipe installations. Tracer wire shall be electrically continuous with any casings. If the installation of tracer wire is impractical, the operator must obtain prior approval from the Board's Bureau of Pipeline Safety to use an alternative means of locating plastic pipes. All pipelines installed with tracer wire shall meet the following requirements, as applicable: 1. Where tracer wire is installed by direct burial, the tracer wire shall be a minimum of #12 AWG solid copper wire with a polyethylene coating, or another coating approved by the operator, or other type of tracer wire that has been demonstrated to provide an equivalent or superior level of service; 2. Where tracer wire is installed by boring or drilling, the tracer wire shall be #10 AWG solid copper wire with a polyethylene coating, or another coating approved by the operator, or other type of tracer wire that has been demonstrated to provide an equivalent or superior level of service; and 3. Tracer wire installed on new or replacement plastic pipes may not be wrapped around the pipe, and direct contact with the pipe must be minimized. (h) An operator shall place a yellow subsurface marking or warning tape in the backfill material above a transmission or distribution pipeline whenever the pipeline is installed, repaired, or replaced, except that this requirement shall not apply to a transmission or distribution pipeline that is being installed, repaired, or replaced using techniques that do not disturb the backfill above the pipeline, such as directional drilling, insertion, or boring. For pipes of less than 12 inches in diameter, the operator shall install one six-inch-wide tape. For pipes of 12 inches to 18 inches in diameter, the operator shall install one 12-inch-wide tape or two six-inch-wide tapes installed side-by-side. For pipes of 20 inches to 30 inches in diameter, the operator shall install one 24-inch-wide tape, two 12-inch-wide tapes installed side-by-side, or four six-inch-wide tapes installed side-by-side. For pipe diameter larger than 30 inches, the operator shall obtain prior approval from the Board's Bureau of Pipeline Safety on the size and type of subsurface marking or warning tape to be used. NEW JERSEY REGISTER, MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2023 (CITE 55 N.J.R. 1207) PUBLIC UTILITIES ADOPTIONS#