Title
Ordinance No. 20-70 creating a new Article 10 (Underground Damage Prevention Safety Program) of Chapter 12 (Utilities) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, as amended, pertaining to underground excavation regulations and providing penalties for the violation thereof
Presenter:
Aram Benyamin, Chief Executive Officer, Colorado Springs Utilities
Summary:
This ordinance is one of two ordinances being proposed as part of an effort to codify Colorado Springs Utilities' existing Underground Damage Prevention Safety program. This ordinance provides relevant definitions, sets forth actions considered as violations of the program provisions based on state law, and establishes an enforcement process. The redlined version of the ordinance includes revisions made based on stakeholder feedback since the August 2020 Utilities Board meeting.
Background:
Colorado Springs Utilities ("Utilities") has had a damage prevention safety program in place since at least 2003, utilizing a group of 29 in-house locators and one program manager. Using a locate ticket management system, the locators mark underground infrastructure when a homeowner or contractor makes a request through Colorado's Call Before You Dig Notification System, also known as Call 811. Under the existing program, which was established in accordance with Colorado's previous statutory program, within two business days after the day the request was made, Utilities' locators mark Utilities' pipelines, electrical lines, water lines, wastewater lines and fiber. Other owners and operators of underground utility facilities are required to do the same thing. In the event a Utilities' facility is damaged, Utilities also has two damage investigators who investigate damage and prosecute violations.
In 2018, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 18-167, establishing the Colorado Underground Damage Prevention Safety Commission to provide for greater enforcement of Colorado's excavation s...
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