Civil penalties issued for pipeline excavation damage incident in Lake Tahoe, Nev. area
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) accepted two stipulations issuing civil penalties to Great Basin Transmission Company and Aspen Developers Corp. for a pipeline excavation damage incident that occurred on Oct. 9, 2024, near Incline Village in the North Lake Tahoe region of Nevada.
The civil penalties were issued in Docket Nos. 25-02009 and 25-02010 as part of the PUCN’s enforcement of Nevada’s “Call (811) Before You Dig” law. The excavation damage associated with these civil penalties involved the high-pressure, 8-inch transmission pipeline lateral located between Carson City and Incline Village that serves all of Incline Village and North Tahoe. The stipulations stated that while this damage could have resulted in 38,000 customers losing service, the incident did not result in any significant interruption of services.
According to the stipulations, Great Basin received a $40,000 fine for violations regarding incorrect marking of subsurface facilities in response to an excavation ticket. Aspen was fined $6,000 for failing to obtain a valid “One Call” ticket prior to excavation.
Although the pipeline that was damaged is an interstate pipeline and under the authority of the Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), protection of the pipeline from excavation is subject to the jurisdiction of Nevada’s Call Before You Dig law and the PUCN.
“This excavation damage had the potential of causing widespread customer outages just as the onset of winter was occurring” said Paul Maguire, PUCN Regulatory Engineering manager. “Nevada has one of the most effective damage prevention laws and programs in the country. Holding both operators and excavators accountable when incidents occur, so they look at their practices and procedures to ensure improvements going forward, is very important.”
State regulations require contractors to obtain a dig ticket if using mechanical equipment or hand tools. Non-contractors also always need a dig ticket if excavating with mechanical equipment or digging more than 12 inches deep with hand tools. However, it is good practice for everyone to call 811 for a free dig ticket whenever excavating regardless of depth.
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