Sheeting and shoring permits shall be reviewed to assure that all sewers, water mains, and related appurtenances near the proposed work are:
correctly located on plan and sections;
not damaged and measures are taken to diminish the risk of damaging them;
assessed for the impact of their failure and the assessment is well known to all parties involved; and,
secured with a deposit of money to pay for any required work to be performed by DCWASA and pay for a portion of the replacement cost of the water and sewer infrastructure that might be damaged by the proposed work.
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is responsible for final approval of the permit. To facilitate the review of sheeting and shoring permits the Office of Engineering Services (OES) has adopted the following guidelines to perform the work:
The Documents and Permits Section (DPS) reviews the application to assure that water mains, sewers and related appurtenances are correctly located on plans and sections in accordance with DCWASA records. Submitted drawings are marked as required to show the correct location.
DPS reviews the application to assure that the drawings contain enough sections to clearly locate the existing water and sewer infrastructure, and that tie backs, piles and other components of the proposed sheeting and shoring are clearly shown on the sections.
It is assumed that any water main or sewer in the zone of influence of the excavation can settle and become damaged and therefore may need to be replaced. The zone of influence is defined as the area above a 45-degree plane that starts at the bottom of the proposed excavation and terminates at the surface.
To assess the condition of sewers and any resulting damage from the proposed work. A TV inspection will be performed prior and after completion of the work, for all sewers within the zone of influence of the excavation. TV inspections are the responsibility of the contractor or applicant. The Engineering Inspection Branch (EIB) will watch the TV inspections to assure they are performed correctly. If sewers are large enough, a walk through will be performed instead of a TV inspection. A videotape documenting the walk through is preferred, but a report of the walk through supported by color photographs is also accepted.
The amount of deposit that will be requested from the contractor or applicant is as follows:
100% of estimated salary costs. This is the cost of inspection by EIB and as-built preparation. A check is required for this part of the deposit.
40% of the estimated cost of replacing the sewers and water mains in the zone of influent of the excavation. A cash deposit of 100% will be accepted for this work if the estimated cost is less than $150,000.
A bond will be accepted for the part of the deposit greater than $150,000.
If there are no water mains or sewers within the zone of influence of the excavation, a minimum deposit of $12,000 will be required ($1,000 for water mains, $10,000 for the water meter(s) and $1,000 for sewers). A check is required for this case. This deposit is to set up a work order for inspection of the construction site to assure that the water and sewer infrastructure is not damaged by the contractor's work.
DCWASA does not perform a review of the structural integrity of the sheeting and shoring system. DCRA is responsible for this review.
Procedure:
Sheeting and shoring application is submitted to DPS.
DPS reviews the sheeting and shoring drawings to assure that they contain the following information and that it is shown correctly.
Horizontal and vertical location of water mains and sewers on all streets and alleys surrounding the site.
Property lines.
Cross sections to adequately show all water mains and sewers in relation to the proposed sheeting and shoring work including tie backs if they are proposed.
If there are large discrepancies between DCWASA's records and the sheeting and shoring drawings, or the drawings do not contain all the required information, they are marked up with comments and the application is rejected.
Once the sheeting and shoring drawings are adequate in accordance with 3 above, DPS calculates the footage of the different sizes of water mains and sewers within the zone of influence and a cost per linear foot for their replacement.
DPS submits this information to the Chief, Water, and Sewer Design Branch (WSDB) for review and approval.
Upon approval by the Chief, WSDB, once the final deposit amount is determined, the DPS notifies the applicant of the deposit requirements.
When the funding requirements are satisfied by the applicant, DPS signs off approving the sheeting and shoring application and returns it to the PSCD.
DCWASA establishes two job numbers (one for sewer work and one for water work) and issues and disseminates the work order as follows:
If a TV inspection of small diameter sewers is required or the contractor is going to perform sewer or water main construction, the work order is submitted to the EIB for inspection of the work.
For walk through inspection of large sewers, the work order goes to EIB and the EIB coordinates with the Bureau of Sewer Services (BSS) the inspection of the sewer by BSS. However, if the request for the walk through inspection is done during the planning stage of the project, before the completion of the sheeting and shoring application, the work order goes directly to BSS.
If there are not sewer or water mains in the area of influence of the proposed sheeting and shoring work, a work order for the minimum amount of $1,000 for inspection of the sewers goes to EIB and another work order for $1,000 for the inspection of the water mains goes to BWS.
When all the work is completed, the EIB prepares as-builts, and signs off on the original work order. Any remaining unexpended funds will be returned to the sheeting and shoring applicant. When a sewer or water main is damaged during the sheeting and shoring operation, the contractor is given the choice of performing the repair work, or the work will be performed by DCWASA and charge to the contractor.
