A. 
All utility companies and owners, including but not limited to pipeline companies, cable TV companies, electric companies, telephone companies, water companies and water and sewer authorities, shall comply with the provisions of the Underground Utility Line Protection Law, Act 287 of 1974, as amended by Act 38 of 1991 and Act 187 of 1996, which relates to excavation and demolition work in the vicinity of underground facilities.
B. 
The utility owner is responsible for complying with applicable industry codes and federal and state regulations that pertain to the particular type of utility facility.
C. 
All utilities are to be installed or relocated underground in the public rights-of-way or within the street cartways. Perpendicular crossings of the streets shall be minimized through the use of common facilities.
D. 
All utilities shall be installed in accordance with PennDOT's Publication 408 Specifications, and PennDOT's Design Manual Part 5, as amended, all applicable Township standards, and the requirements contained in the Towamencin Village: Land Use and Design Manual (Ordinance No. 96-6).
E. 
All aboveground facilities (junction boxes, transformer boxes, splice boxes) shall be screened from view from both the public rights-of-way and adjacent properties by using walls, fencing, or landscaping. Such screening devices shall comply with the Towamencin Village: Land Use and Design Manual (Ordinance No. 96-6) or be compatible with building materials and/or adjacent landscape treatments and are subject to the review and approval by the Board of Supervisors.
F. 
Upon completion of utility construction, record plans of all utilities, including services, are to be prepared by the utility owners. Two paper copies and one reproducible copy of the plans are to be provided to the Township for record retention. They are to be provided on acid-free paper.
G. 
Utilities must be located to minimize the need for later adjustment, to accommodate known future highway improvements, and in a manner that the maintenance, servicing, and replacement of such facilities will not impair the roadway nor impede traffic flow.
H. 
All utilities must be designed to provide for the future ultimate build-out condition of the Towamencin Village Overlay District.
A. 
All utilities shall be located within the public rights-of-way of the Township. If the utility facility must be outside the street right-of-way, sufficient easements and/or right-of-way must be provided.
B. 
No trash or debris shall be placed in any excavation or left within the public rights-of-way of the Township.
C. 
The horizontal and vertical location of facilities within the public rights-of-way of the Township must conform with occupancy policies applicable for the system, type of highway, and specific conditions for the particular roadway section involved.
D. 
All utilities designed and installed within the public rights-of-way of the Township must be of durable materials designed for long service life expectancy, must be relatively free from routine servicing or maintenance, must provide the highest degree of safety to the traveling public, and must assure the integrity of the roadway and protection for the facility.
E. 
All utility facilities installed within the public rights-of-way of the Township shall be designed to support the dead loads imposed by earth, subbase, pavement, etc. and vehicular loads thereon when the facility is operated under all ranges of pressure.
F. 
The design and construction methods used for manholes, vaults, and similar underground appurtenances to be installed within the public rights-of-way of the Township are to comply with PennDOT's Publication 408 Specifications and are subject to the prior approval of the Township.
A. 
Longitudinal installations must be on an alignment parallel to the pavement and, where possible, located between the drainage ditch, if present, and the public right-of-way lines. Longitudinal installations shall not interfere with the roadway drainage, the structural integrity of the pavement, shoulders or embankment, highway maintenance, and the safety of the traveling public.
B. 
All utility facilities which intersect shall cross each other at an angle as near to 90° as practical.
A. 
All utility facilities shall be installed with a minimum cover of 36 inches, measured from the top of the facility to the adjacent ground.
B. 
The minimum clearance between utility facilities shall be 18 inches. All crossings not meeting the minimum clearance shall be encased in concrete.
A. 
Relocated or newly installed utility facility lines that are parallel to each other shall be constructed in separate trenches.
B. 
Excavations for trenching shall not extend more than 300 feet ahead of the utility facility placement, nor shall trenching be left open overnight unless permission is received from the Township Engineer. If permission is granted, appropriate roadside protection must be placed in accordance with PennDOT Publication 203, Work Zone Traffic Control, April 1994, or most current.
C. 
The utility facility owner shall protect the utility facility trench to provide for the safety of the traveling public, including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
A. 
The backfill must be a suitable material as approved by the Township Engineer. Backfilling should not be done in freezing weather or with frozen material.
B. 
Upon completion of utility facility placement, testing, and inspection, the utility facility trench is to be backfilled immediately with suitable materials as approved by the Township Engineer.
C. 
Any settlement which occurs in backfilled trenches must be immediately corrected prior to placement of paving. Settlement which occurs in asphalt pavement areas shall be repaired by resurfacing the entire width of the street with asphaltic concrete at the expense of the contractor. If the adjacent pavement section is rigid pavement (concrete), it is required that the contract replace the pavement with high early strength (HES) or accelerated concrete pavement in order to facilitate traffic movements.
D. 
Any bedding soil that is unstable, in the opinion of the Township Engineer, shall be removed from under utility facilities and utility facility structures, as directed, and replaced as specified with suitable material.
E. 
All excavations within the public rights-of-way of the Township shall be backfilled with a maximum of six inch lifts using mechanical compaction equipment. Compaction equal to the existing undisturbed soil must be achieved.
[Amended 12-17-2003 by Ord. No. 03-09]
All blasting shall conform to the requirements of Chapter 46 of the Code of Towamencin Township.
A. 
Steel carrier pipes. Steel carrier pipes shall be protectively coated, wrapped, and provided with a cathodic protection system in conformance with all current applicable codes and regulations.
B. 
Fiber optic cables. All fiber optic cables shall be encased in six-inch-thick concrete which has been color coded with an orange dye. Metallic identification tape must be buried a minimum of 18 inches below top of ground and shall be positioned above the fiber optic cable.
C. 
Sanitary sewers.
(1) 
Sanitary sewers are to be placed at least 10 feet horizontally from any existing or proposed water main. If local conditions prevent a lateral separation of 10 feet, a sewer may be laid closer than 10 feet to the water line if the following items are satisfied:
(a) 
It is laid in a separate trench.
(b) 
It is laid in the same trench with the water main located at one side on a bench of undisturbed earth.
(c) 
In either case, the elevation of the crown of the sewer is at least 18 inches below the invert of the water main.
(d) 
Should the sewer cross under the water main, the sewer shall be laid at such an elevation that the top of the sewer is at least 18 inches below the bottom of the water main.
(2) 
All sanitary sewers shall be installed and connected to the public sanitary sewer system following a plan review and approval from the Upper Gwynedd-Towamencin Municipal Sewer Authority (UGTMA).
(3) 
Whenever possible, sanitary sewers shall be installed and connected to the Upper Gwynedd-Towamencin Municipal Sewer Authority.
(4) 
All public sanitary sewers must be designed and constructed in accordance with the Sewerage Manual issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Upper Gwynedd-Towamencin Municipal Sewer Authority Specifications.
D. 
Stormwater. All stormwater drainage inlets shall have structural steel bicycle safe grates as set forth in PennDOT Publication 72.
Maintenance and protection of traffic during utility facility(ies) relocation(s) and/or construction must be in accordance with PennDOT Publication 203, Work Zone Traffic Control, April 1994, and its addenda. Maintenance and Protection of Traffic Figures must be included with the utility application for the Township to review prior to the issuance of a permit for the relocation and/or installation.
A. 
Caps and plugs for any dead-end branches of utility facilities or service connections shall be made watertight and be anchored to hold against internal pressure or external force.
B. 
Erosion control measures must be in place prior to any utility facility excavation and the measures must be maintained during all phases of the utility facilities relocation/installation. The erosion control measures must be in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program Manual, January 1996, and its addenda.