[Mintwood-place] RE: DPR's Lack of Standards,
Oversight and Inspection
Michael Valentine
mvalentine at thetemplegroup.com
Fri Jul 1 15:16:55 GMT 2005
As per a telephone conversation with Mr. Bellur Ravishankur, Supervisory,
Mechanical/Plumbing Inspection Department at DCRA, the minimum depth for
exterior copper water supply piping shall be 3'0".
I have directed Foote's plumbing to remove, in its' entirety, all improperly
installed piping and re-install per the requirements of the DC Plumbing
Codes.
In light of this development, TTG will perform routine inspections at the
site to ensure compliance with the appicable codes.
Michael A. Valentine, RA
Senior Project Manager
The Temple Group, Inc.
1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite #310
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: 202-822-6600x244
Fax: 202-822-6603
e-mail: mvalentine at thetemplegroup.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Eddie Becker [mailto:eddie_becker at yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 2:17 AM
To: Michael Valentine; 'John Cloud'; 'Stanley Neil (DPR)'
Cc: mintwood-place-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org; 'Flowers Kimberley (DPR)';
matthew_c._forman at hud.gov; Roland Barnes; ctoussaint at thetemplegroup.com;
Hresko.joe at epamail.epa.gov; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; 'Rodgers
Neil (DPR)'; 'Neil Albert'; 'Johnson Earl (DPR)'
Subject: DPR's Lack of Standards, Oversight and Inspection
On Wednesday June 29th Foote's plumbers covered over and buried about 25
feet of copper pipe that
runs along Columbia Road in a trench that for most of it's length as John
Cloud observed is less
then 12" from the surface. Furthermore, because the pipe has been placed
into a slope, it is
about 24" from an additional side exposure.
The copper pipe is bound to burst with the first good freeze.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission set a standard for the depth of
service entrance water
pipes. The code states that the trenching depth of piping is to be no less
then 42 inches from
the surface using type K copper pipe. (Chapter 3 Section 303.5 Depth of
Trench Piping
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Code, 1988)
The June 28th e-mail from Michael Valentine, indicates that Lester Foote the
owner of Foote's
Plumbing believes that the "minimum depth of placement for the piping is 36"
(See the Jun 28 e-mail from Michael Valentine
http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/mintwood-place/2005-June/000532.html)
The recent excavation has uncovered a length of pipe Foote's plumbers
trenched about three months
ago. That depth was only 24 inches!
It seems apparent that neither a) the sub-contractor, Foote's Plumbing, b)
the primary contractor,
The Temple Group or c) the Department of Parks and Recreation is checking to
make sure this
project done according to established standards.
Can anyone get this right?
Eddie Becker
--- Michael Valentine <mvalentine at thetemplegroup.com> wrote:
> As per a conversation with Lester Foote, of Foote's Plumbing, trenching
> equipment is not being used for at the referenced site for the following
> reasons:
> 1. The trenching equipment could not be properly balanced on
> the
> slope along the trench route, which would result in an
> unsafe condition.
>
> 2. Hand digging allows discretion by the workers to minimize
> damage to the roots of the existing shrubs. The trenching
equipment
> is not as selective.
>
> Mr. Foote also revealed that the minimum depth of placement for the piping
> is 36". As added insurance, I have also requested installation of a bleed
> valve so that DPR may include this site in their winterization schedule.
>
> Michael A. Valentine, RA
> Senior Project Manager
> The Temple Group, Inc.
> 1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite #310
> Washington, DC 20036
> Telephone: 202-822-6600x244
> Fax: 202-822-6603
> e-mail: mvalentine at thetemplegroup.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Cloud [mailto:John.Cloud at noaa.gov]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 1:04 PM
> To: Stanley Neil (DPR)
> Cc: 'Jim Graham'; 'Paul Chiland'; 'Neil Albert';
> mintwood-place-bounces at lists.mutualaid.org; matthew_c._forman at hud.gov;
> Hresko.joe at epamail.epa.gov; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; Johnson
Earl
> (DPR); Franklin-Kelly Lisa (DPR); mvalentine at thetemplegroup.com; Flowers
> Kimberley (DPR); Rodgers Neil (DPR); John Cloud
> Subject: Re: No Water in Kalorama Park
>
> Folks:
>
> I hate to be the perpetual Bad News Bear in these matters, but somebody
> has to do it.
>
> (1) Broken water faucet at Kalorama Park.
>
> This last weekend, with temperatures in the 90s, many people used the
> one water source in the park, which is a faucet at the Rec Center that
> opens with a square-key tool. The good collective water key at the
> Kalorama garden got pocketed, so people used their own keys, or pliers,
> and the eroded corners of the faucet plug finally gave out. The water
> keys no longer work, so now gardiners have to carry water from their
> apartments. DPR needs to replace the faucet or have it rebuilt--
> without it, there is no accessible water source for the garden right
> now, or the adjacent flower beds, or anything. The faucet wore out
> because people have had to hand carry water ot the garden for three
> summers.
>
> (2) New water line to the garden.
>
> Foote's Plumbing has assigned two guys to dig the new water line
> trench. They started yesterday. I've talked to them. It's hard labor--
> at the rate they are going, it will take them days to dig the 50 yards
> to the WASA service line location. If Foote sent a Ditch-Witch crew out
> the excavation would be done by this afternoon. By the nature of a
> hand-dug trench, they are going shallow, barely 1 foot below grade. I
> mean no fault of the workers at all. Anybody digging a ditch by hand
> would do the same. But: the water line need to be buried below the
> frost line. Foote's Plumbing is being paid to build the water line to
> code spec. DPR must insure they dig the trench to spec. Otherwise, if
> the water line bursts in the winter we are back to no water line once
> more.
> --
> _ _
> (o) (o)
> oOOO----(_)----OOOo---
> John Cloud
> Geographer/Writer/Editor
> NOAA Central Library
> 1315 East-West Highway
> SSMC-3, 2nd Floor, E/OC4
> Silver Spring, MD 20910
> 301-713-2607, ext. 126
> John.Cloud at noaa.gov
>
> aussi:
> Chez Cloud Urbanique
> 1915 Kalorama Rd. NW
> Apt. 603
> Washington, DC 20009
> 202-277-4931
>
>
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