1. All materials and workmanship shall be in conformance with the Denver Water Engineering Standards, Materials Specifications and Drawings. All main installations/system modifications shall be approved and inspected by Denver Water.
2. All water mains installed shall conform to Denver Water Materials Specifications:
| Ductile Iron | ES 6.03, MS-1 |
4" & 20" Class 51/with Poly Wrap 6" through 16" Class 50/with Poly Wrap |
| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) | ES 6.03, MS-2 |
4" Class 200 6" through 12" Class 150 |
Note: All fire hydrant laterals and fire lines shall be Ductile Iron Pipe.
3. Mechanical joint restraint devices shall be:
| For Ductile Iron Pipe: | For PVC Pipe: |
|---|---|
| MegaLug 1100 Series | MegaLug 2000 PV Series |
| Romal ROM Grip | Sigma-One Lock |
| Uni-Flange 1400 Series | Star |
| Star Grip 3000 Series | |
| Sigma-One Lock |
4. Pipe joint restraint devices shall be:
| For Ductile Iron Pipe: | For PVC Pipe: |
|---|---|
| MegaLug 1700 Series | MegaLug 1500 PV Series |
| US Pipe Field Lok Gasket |
5. Tracer wire, gauge 12, shall be installed on all non-metallic water mains.
6. All fittings shall be made from gray-iron or ductile iron and furnished with mechanical joint ends. All fittings shall have a pressure rating of 250 psi (MS-3) and shall be wrapped with an 8-mil minimum thickness polyethylene material (MS-14).
7. Cross-Connection Control Requirements:
Provide the locations of existing and proposed domestic, irrigation, and firelines with a dimension in relationship to an existing valve or fire hydrant on the water plan.
Provide existing and proposed backflow prevention assembly (BFPA) installations on domestic, irrigation, and firelines with a dimension in relationship to the meter, buildings and/or service lines. Include BFPA’s size and type (RP or DC). Include BFPA installation type (e.g., installed above ground in an enclosure, in a manhole pit/vault below ground, or in a building) on the water plan.
Irrigation service lines require an approved University of Southern California (USC) Reduced Pressure Principle (RP) backflow prevention assembly (containment) to be installed 5-feet downstream from the meter pit as an above ground installation before any connections. Refer to the assembly’s manufacturer installation instructions for height and orientation requirements. For additional information, please reference Denver Water’s Engineering Standards 6.11 or contact Cross-Connection Control at 303-628-5940.
If recycle or raw water (ditch water, pond, well. etc.) is used for irrigation on the premise, an approved University of Southern California (USC) backflow prevention assembly (containment) shall be installed 5-feet downstream from the meter pit on the domestic service line. The backflow assembly type is determined by the degree of hazard downstream from the meter (RP-High Hazard installed above ground or DC-Low Hazard installed below ground in a 60-inch diameter manhole). For additional information, please reference Denver Water’s Engineering Standards 6.11 or contact Cross-Connection Control at 303-628-5940.
No domestic taps (drinking fountains, play features, swimming pools, bathrooms, sinks, etc.) are allowed on irrigation service lines:
- Between the irrigation tap and the meter
- Between the meter and the backflow prevention assembly
- Downstream from the backflow prevention assembly
8. For all pipe installations, the depth of cover over the pipe measured from official street grade to the top of the pipe shall be a minimum of 4-½ feet and shall be known as the cover over the pipe. If difficulties arise when crossing interference and where specifically approved by Denver Water, deviations from 4-½ feet of cover will be permitted. Cover over the pipe shall be a minimum of 3 feet and a maximum of 10 feet.
Any changes in alignment and grade shall be authorized by Denver Water and shall be accomplished by the installation of additional fittings. Breaking of joints is permitted only when installing pipe on horizontal or vertical curves.
9. Fire hydrants shall conform to Denver Water MS-13 Materials Specifications. Fire hydrant assemblies shall include all pipe, fittings, valves, and materials necessary to install the hydrant.
10. The following fire hydrants and valve boxes shall be accepted for construction by Denver Water.
Fire Hydrants
- American AVK Model 2700 Modern
The following may be utilized in Distributor Contract Areas.
- Clow F-2545
- Kennedy K-81D
- Centurion 423
Valve Boxes
- Tyler Screw–Type "C" Cast Iron valve Box Assembly Series 6860 With No. 160 Oval Base.
- Olympic Foundry Inc. Model No. 450VB
- Castings Inc. CI. 160B Oval Base
- East Jordan Iron Works Series 8560
- Star Pipe Model No. VBD160DMWW
- Western States Pipe Model No. VBDEN
All valve boxes and fire hydrants will be adjusted to the final finished grade by the Contractor.
11. All bends, tees, fire hydrants, blow-offs, and plugs at dead-end mains shall be protected from thrust by using concrete thrust blocks per Denver Water Engineering Standards, Drawing 19.
12. Chlorination and Flushing: All water mains shall be installed and chlorinated per Section 8.24 of Denver Water's Engineering Standards. The lines shall be chlorinated in accordance with AWWA C-651, "Disinfecting Water Mains." The preferred method is to use sufficient chlorine tablets to produce a 25 mg/l solution. These tablets should be adhered to the top of the pipe with Permatex Clear R.T.V. Chlorination of 16 inch and larger pipe requires a chlorine slurry. The chlorination of any finished pipeline shall be completed prior to hydrostatic testing.
13. Hydrostatic Testing: All water mains shall be tested per the requirements of Section 8.25 of Denver Water’s Engineering Standards. All pipe shall be field pressure tested to a minimum of 150 psi. All testing shall be done in the presence of a Denver Water Inspector. Allowable leakage for each section of pipe between line valves shall not exceed the leakage rate set forth below.
| Pipe Size Inside Diameter | Allowable Leakage Per 1,000 feet Gallons Per Hour |
|
|---|---|---|
| DI | PVC | |
| 4-inch | .37 | .33 |
| 6-inch | .55 | .50 |
| 8-inch | .74 | .66 |
| 12-inch | 1.10 | 1.00 |
| 16-inch | 1.47 | |
| 20-inch | 1.84 | |
14. All valves are to be located on property line extensions except for tapping tees where an additional valve shall be placed on the tapping tee. Other valve locations may be required as shown on the plans.
15. When it is necessary to lower or raise water lines at storm drains and other utility crossings, a minimum clearance of one (1) foot shall be maintained between the outside of pipes.
16. The Contractor shall have in his possession at all times one (1) signed copy of the approved water plans.
17. Compaction of all trenches must be attained by the Contractor and the compaction test results submitted to Denver Water Construction Inspection Division.
18. Only one point of connection will be allowed until all testing of new installations is completed.
19. The Contractor is responsible for:
- Notifying all customers possibly affected by outage of water during construction.
- The Contractor shall obtain, at his expense, all applicable licenses, permits, bonds, etc. required for the main installation/system modification.
- Contacting Denver Water’s Construction Engineering for Pre-construction Meeting and Inspection, 303-628-6671, at least 48 hours prior to commencing construction.
- In case of an emergency after working hours, call Denver Water’s Westside Dispatcher at 303-628-6390.
Note: Be advised that occasionally valves in our system may be inoperable. On such occasions it may become necessary to back up an additional block for the shut out. It will then be necessary to make the additional notifications to give the affected customers the mandatory 24 hours advance notice. Also be advised that when valve maintenance is required, a delay of several days should be expected.
20. Prior to installation of water mains, road construction must have progressed to at least the "sub-grade" state. Sub-grade is defined as an elevation of no more than seven (7) inches below the finished street grade.
21. Before any taps are made from mains, application(s) for the taps must be received and approved by the Distributor and Denver Water.
22. Denver Water is to make all taps 2 inches and smaller.
23. Individual service line PRVs are required. (Use this note only when area pressure exceeds 80 psi.)
24. All meter and AMR locations shall be approved by Denver Water, except in Master Meter Districts. Contact Meter Inspection at 303-628-6706 before construction to verify acceptable meter locations.
- An on site pre-construction meeting with Meter Inspection is required for all meters 1-1/2-inch and larger. Call Meter Inspection to schedule an appointment.
- Service line and meter settings must meet all applicable Engineering Standards in effect at the time of the meter set or inspection. Relocation of tap may be required to avoid driveways, sidewalks and other obstructions constructed after the tap has been installed.
- All meters for Inside Denver, Total Service, and Read and Bill Districts must be furnished with Automatic Meter Reading devices as specified by Denver Water. AMR devices will be installed by Denver Water at the time of the meter installation or inspection.
- Meter pit and vault lids shall have a 7-inch diameter by ¾-inch deep recess with a 2-inch diameter hole to accommodate the pit-mounted AMR device. When remote AMR devices are required, a lid without recesses shall be used; contractor shall provide approved signal cable in conduit from the meter location to the AMR device location, and double-gang electrical junction box mounted as directed for AMR device mounting.
- For indoor meter installations: submit to Meter Inspection (Fax: 303-628-6895) a sketch of the room where the meter will be installed showing all domestic and fire line piping prior to construction.
- Inside Denver, all multi-family dwellings that have one tap, service line, and meter are required to sub-meter each individual unit (City Council Ordinance Number 576). Call the City and County of Denver's Chief Plumbing Inspector at 720-865-2625 for information.
25. A backflow prevention device approved by Denver Water is required on the treated water service line for:
- All commercial and multi-family domestic taps.
- Commercial domestic taps require an approved University of Southern California (USC) Reduced Pressure Principle (RP) or Double-Check Valve (DC) backflow prevention assembly (containment) to be installed downstream from the meter pit in a heated enclosure or immediate entry into a heated part of the building before any connections.
- If a multi-family domestic tap falls under the following criteria (i.e., property over three stories, boiler feeding all units, fire protection system, premises served by auxiliary water, swimming pool and irrigation systems with chemical injection) the same backflow assembly requirements shall apply. The backflow assembly type for commercial and multi-family is determined by the degree of hazard downstream from the meter (RP-High Hazard or DC-Low Hazard).
- Refer to the assembly’s manufacturer installation instructions for height and orientation requirements. For additional information, please reference Denver Water’s Engineering Standards 6.11 or contact Cross-Connection Control at 303-628-5940.
- Taps where there is a dual water supply on the premises. (If there is a dual supply, a Dual Water Supply Agreement must be signed and provided to Denver Water.)
- Fire lines.
26. All combination fire line and domestic taps must be inspected and approved by Denver Water prior to the release of the water mains.
27. Denver Water personnel are not responsible for work site safety or compliance/enforcement of safety regulations and standards established by other agencies. All safety compliance/enforcement at the work site shall be the Contractor’s responsibility.
28. The Water Quality Control Division of The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) requires all water line contractors to possess a current Discharge Permit for discharges of chlorinated and process waters associated with the installation of new mains or conduits. Contact CDPHE Water Quality Control Division at 303-692-3539 for information on obtaining the required permit.
29. Irrigation of medians and other public landscaped areas less than 25 feet in width must be done in accordance with Denver Water Operating Rule 14.02.3 (Call DW Conservation Section at 303-628-6343 for information regarding irrigation systems)
- For strips of land less than 6 feet in width – Spray irrigation shall be prohibited. Low-flow irrigation systems are required.
- For strips of land between 6 feet and 15 feet in width – Only low flow irrigation, or spray irrigation using low-angle spray nozzles designed for the specific width to be irrigated shall be permitted. All spray heads must be pressure reducing and designed to prevent low head drainage.
- For strips of land more than 15 feet in width – Only gear-driven rotors with low angle nozzles may be used to irrigate turf areas. Planting beds may be irrigated with low-flow or spray irrigation. All spray heads must be pressure reducing and designed to prevent low head drainage.
30. Irrigation service lines require an approved University of Southern California (USC) Reduced Pressure Principle (RP) backflow prevention assembly (containment) to be installed 5-feet downstream from the meter pit as an above ground installation before any connections. Refer to the assembly’s manufacturer installation instructions for height and orientation requirements.
31. If recycle or raw water (ditch water, pond, well. etc.) is used for irrigation on the premise, an approved University of Southern California (USC) backflow prevention assembly (containment) shall be installed 5-feet downstream from the meter pit on the domestic service line. The backflow assembly type is determined by the degree of hazard downstream from the meter (RP-High Hazard installed above ground or DC-Low Hazard installed below ground—6 0-inch diameter manhole). For additional information, please reference Denver Water’s Engineering Standards 6.11 or contact Cross-Connection Control at 303-628-5940.
32. Beginning August 1, 2008, soil amendment will be required on every property requiring new water service. Meters will not be set without a soil inspection by Denver Water or designated personnel.
33. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) regulates asbestos activities through the Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) through the Solid Waste and Materials Management Division (SWMMD) when soil contamination is involved. Denver Water will require contractors and developers to follow the procedures below when cement asbestos pipe is encountered:
- The pipe must be removed from the excavation for proper disposal.
- Contractor/Developer will manage the pipe in accordance with the following regulations:
- Colorado Air Regulations No 8 — Control of Hazardous Air Pollutants
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001 — General Industry Standards — Asbestos
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1101 — Construction Standards — Asbestos
- If large amount of cement asbestos pipe are anticipated to be removed the material must be managed by an appropriate asbestos abatement contractor (160 square ft or 260 linear will require a permit)
Cement Asbestos Pipe is considered a non-friable asbestos material which is defined as containing more than 1% asbestos by weight and cannot be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Therefore, a release of asbestos fibers is not likely during normal use and handling of this material.
DISCLAIMER: Denver Water Standard Operating Procedures represent recommended practices that should be applicable to most situations employees will encounter. These procedures should be followed to the extent applicable, but they by no means represent the only method to perform the tasks they describe. It is understood that field conditions, emergencies, and other circumstances may require deviation from Standard Operating Procedures.