OAR 952-001-0070: Operators to Mark Underground Facilities or Notify Excavator that None Exist

(1) Except as provided in section (2) of this rule, within two full business days following the day an excavator notifies the Oregon Utility Notification Center of a proposed excavation, the operator or its designated agent must: (a) Mark within 24 inches of the outside lateral dimensions of both sides of all its locatable underground facilities within the area of proposed excavation. All marks must indicate the name, initials or logo of the operator of the underground facilities, and the width of the facility if it is greater than 2 inches; (b) Provide marks to the excavator of the unlocatable underground facilities in the area of proposed excavation, using the best information available including as-constructed drawings or other facility records that are maintained by the facility operator; or (c) Notify the excavator that the operator does not have any underground facilities in the area of the proposed excavation. Acceptable notifications must include locate request call back information and if done with an AVR (Automated Voice Response) must have a repeat option and a call back number to hear the information again. (2) An operator or designated agent must comply with the terms of an agreement with the excavator, confirmed in writing by both parties prior to excavation, that provides a date and time for the operator to mark facilities within a time period that exceeds two business days but does not exceed 10 business days. (3) Operators of abandoned facilities must mark said facilities to the standards of locatable facilities or unlocatable facilities. (4) An operator must mark any known abandoned underground facility with a capital letter "A" inside of a circle, using the appropriate operator color and identification. (5) An operator of any out-of-service underground facility must mark such facility in the same way it marks an underground facility that is in service. (6) If an excavator uses offset marking, the excavator must correctly measure the amount of offset, so that the excavator can reestablish the location of underground facilities where originally marked. (7) If the excavator notifies the operator of underground facilities discovered during an excavation in response to an emergency, the operator of underground facilities must comply with section (1) of this rule as soon as possible. (8) Underground facilities must be marked using the following color code: (a) RED — Electric power lines, cables or conduit, and lighting cables. (b) YELLOW — Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or gaseous materials. (c) ORANGE — Communications, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduits, and fiber. (d) BLUE — Potable water. (e) GREEN — Sewers, drain facilities or other drain lines. (f) WHITE — Pre-marking of the outer limits of the proposed excavation or marking the centerline and width of proposed lineal installations of buried facilities. (g) PINK — Temporary Survey Markings. (h) PURPLE — Slurry, irrigation, and reclaimed water. (9) In areas of ongoing excavation or construction, operators must mark newly installed underground facilities immediately upon placement. (10) Except while making minor repairs to existing non-conductive, unlocatable facilities, an operator burying non-conductive, unlocatable facilities within the public rights-of-way or utility easements must place a tracer wire or other similar conductive marking tape or device with the facility to allow for later location and marking. (11) An operator of underground drainage lines is not required to indicate the presence of those underground drainage lines if the existence and route of those drainage lines can be clearly determined from the presence of other visible facilities, such as manholes, catch basins, inlets, outlets, junction boxes, storm drains or permanent marking devices. (12) An operator of underground drainage lines in the area of the proposed excavation must: (a) Provide the excavator the best available description of the underground drainage lines, including as-constructed drawings or other facility maps maintained by the underground drainage lines operator; or (b) Contact the person requesting locates, meet with the person or their designee prior to the beginning of the proposed project, and convey the information required under paragraph (a) of this section.