N.J. Admin. Code § 14:7-1.11

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 14:7-1.11 - Installation of pipe

(a) All gas pipelines shall be installed with at least 12 inches separation from any other subsurface structure or facility, unless it is not reasonably practicable to so.

(b) If a pipeline operator wishes to install gas pipe along with other utilities in a single trench, the operator shall first prepare and submit a joint-trench installation procedure to the Bureau of Pipeline Safety for review under the procedure established in N.J.A.C. 14:7-1.2 3 for revisions to operating and maintenance standards. No pipeline operator shall perform a joint-trench installation except in accordance with a joint-trench procedure previously reviewed by the Bureau for consistency with 49 CFR 192.325.

(c) Backfill around gas pipelines shall consist of a minimum six-inch cushion that surrounds the pipeline on all sides with smooth, clean soil or select fill, except that:

1. If the trench width makes it impractical to maintain a six-inch cushion on the sides of the pipeline, the cushion on the sides of the pipeline may be narrower than six inches;

2. This exception does not apply to the cushion above and below the pipeline, which shall be a minimum of six inches in all cases; and

3. If the cushion on either side of the pipeline is narrower than six inches:

i. The cushion shall extend fully to each side of the trench; and

ii. Either the cushion shall be wide enough to prevent damage to the pipe and pipe coating from the soil material on each side of the pipe, or additional protective measures shall be installed to prevent damage to the pipe and pipe coating.

(d) All backfill material required under (c) above shall be free from rock, stones, cinders, paving material, construction debris, wood, contaminated soil, frozen soil, rubbish or other substances that may damage the pipeline or its coating. Backfill material shall be well compacted under, over and around the sides of the pipe. Compaction of backfill material may be accomplished by mechanical tamping, vibration tamping or other methods approved by the operator.

(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) Whenever pipe coating is applied, the pipeline operator shall take the following additional precautions:

1. Tests and inspections shall be made before backfill to ensure that the coating is adequate and satisfactory; and

2. During backfill, precautions shall be taken to ensure the coating is not damaged.

(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.

N.J. Admin. Code § 14:7-1.11

Amended by R.1998 d.146, effective 3/16/1998.
See: 29 N.J.R. 5184(a), 30 N.J.R. 1050(a).
Substituted "A pipeline operator shall provide for the inspection, either by the operator or by a contractor, of all pipes during installation and prior to backfilling" for "Inspection for storing and handling of pipe shall be adequate" at the beginning, and inserted ", gouges" following "nicks".
Amended by R.2003 d.360, effective 9/15/2003.
See: 35 N.J.R. 1505(a), 35 N.J.R. 4307(b).
Added (b) and (c).
Recodified from N.J.A.C. 14:7-1.13 and amended by R.2009 d.69, effective 3/2/2009.
See: 40 N.J.R. 4915(a), 41 N.J.R. 1083(a).
Rewrote the section. Former N.J.A.C. 14:7-1.11, Valve assessment and emergency closure, recodified to N.J.A.C. 14:7-1.10.
Amended by R.2009 d.291, effective 10/5/2009.
See: 41 N.J.R. 997(a), 41 N.J.R. 3844(b).
In (c), substituted "consist of a minimum six-inch cushion that surrounds the pipeline on all sides with" for "be", deleted commas following "rubbish", "over" and the second occurrence of "tamping", deleted "foreign" preceding "substances", and inserted "that may damage the pipeline or its coating".
Amended by R.2010 d.067, effective 5/3/2010.
See: 41 N.J.R. 3786(a), 42 N.J.R. 853(a).
In the introductory paragraph of (c), substituted ", except that:" for ". It" at the end of the first sentence, and recodified the second, third and fourth sentences as new (d); added (c)1 through (c)3; in (d), inserted "All backfill material required under (c) above"; and recodified former (d) through (f) as (e) through (g).

Amended by 55 N.J.R. 1201(a), effective 6/5/2023