So the question that wasn't reported on is, did RMA follow State requirements to call and notify the Utility Companies before excavation began.  In some states there are penalties that excavators can be assessed for not complying with the State law. The responsibility rests with the excavator.

Refer to the following:

http://www.usanorth.org/about.php?user=excavators

http://www.usanorth.org/calaw.pdf

http://www.call811.com/

That street's been USA-marked for utility locations for quite some time inanticipation of this run. From what I hear a piece of telco cable was not buried as deeply as it was supposed to be/documentation said it was. Spit happens.

Since we're phoneless and DSL-less at our house as a result I'd be hopping mad if I didn't realize and accept that our guys didn't do anything wrong on this one. But I do.

Wilbur:

Would you put a press card in your fedora and post here when your phone service returns?  Getting information from the phone company is not easy.

Here's hoping your service is back soon.

Thanks!

Sorry, Karen, I was downtown and couldn't tell when it finally came back on. Couldn't have posted what I did if I wasn't downtown, since they clipped our DSL line.

It's past 11:30 and AT&T is still out front in the street, running heavy tools (sounds like a muffled jackhammer). But at least the phone and DSL work.

Funny that under RMA's gate policies a homeowner's decorator delivering interior shutters or a homeowner's computer fixit guy is turned away on a Sunday afternoon but AT&T runs jackhammers at midnight.

Wilbur..yes I agree about the work being done, when we the average "JOE" homeowner cannot have anyone with even a ladder on their truck come in on a Sunday, But....I do know that when CSD had to do work at my home they did follow all the correct rules.  They had all the lines marked ahead of time, then when the backhoe showed up and started digging they ran into a line almost 8 feet off of the place were the line was marked.  This would not have been bad if it only HAD been a telephone line, but this was a MAIN SMUD line, that if hit could have knocked power out to many but also very, very seriously electrocuted the driver of the backhoe.  Luckily it was noticed by a spotter before it was hit.  Work halted & the backhoe sat right where it was for 3 days so everything could be figured out.  Just a FYI.  Who would have been responsible for that one??

I'm not sure about this one, but very often Rod's crew finds that things built in the early days of development are not where the ancient "as built" plans say they are. This line, being near the border of Unit 1 and Unit 2, was probably laid a long time ago. AT&T came outbefore the digging and marked where their plans showed they had lines - we've all been looking at the lines in our street for weeks and wondering when something was going to happen and what it would be - but once again they encountered a surprise, something which wasn't where it was supposed to be, either in location or depth, according to the yellowed old "as built" drawings. If you listen to Rod's maintenance reports at BOD meetings you'll frequently hear him refer to reality not matching the "as builts." It appears this is probably another one of those.

Emergency utility repairs affecting dozens of families is the same as a homeowner wanting shutters installed on a Sunday?

As a former RMA cable TV employee, I would always mark off the area to be dug using a “cable locator”, an electronic device to help in locating under ground wiring. I rarely trusted the so the called blue print of the system to help in locating the under ground wire! I know this to be true that if SMUD or the Telco Company has customers out of service they will do whatever it takes to get them back online. There are people who use medical equipment and are completely dependant for these services to be up and running at all times. I can only “guess” has too why the Telco wire was cut? That is my two cents on this subject.

Ralph, judging by Karen's dateline, the phones were back up by 8 pm, at which time the emergency was over. The jackhammering four hours later at nearly midnight was to finish the cut and patch job which could have been finished in the morning.

Truth is, my intention was not so much to complain about the night work as to get a dig in about some of the sillier member-unfriendly applications of RMA's restriction on Sunday "construction." If we can tolerate this we can tolerate a painter painting a kitchen....

Cheryl, 

Your question can get a little complicated, but generally speaking, calling the Utility to mark the lines is only part of the responsibility the excavator must follow.   Here is a link to the California Government Code relative to locating underground utilities, http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/code/getcode.html?file=./gov/04001-05000/4216-4216.9

Some key pieces of information pertinent to your question.

 “4216.4. (a) The excavator shall determine the exact location of subsurface installations in conflict with the excavation by excavating with hand tools within the area of the approximate location of subsurface installations as determined by the field marking provided in accordance with Section 4216.3 before using any
power-operated or power-driven excavating or boring equipment within the approximate location of the subsurface installation……..
(b) If the exact location of the subsurface installation cannot be determined by hand excavating in accordance with subdivision (a), the excavator shall request the operator to provide additional information to the excavator, to the extent that information is available to the operator, to enable the excavator to determine the
exact location of the installation…”

Utilities also have responsibilities, which are detailed in the code.  The degree of accuracy for marking is generally two feet from the outside edge of the underground facility on either side.  Marking the facilities should be completed within two days of the excavator’s notification to the One Call Center and the markings are good for approximately 30 days before they would have to be marked again. 

Back in the 1980’s I was a District Engineer with a Transmission Pipeline Company at the time the Federal Law was established requiring the states to enact One Call legislation.   The pipeline I managed carried liquid propane and butanes.  We had to deal with farmers, property owners, contractors, municipalities, etc., when it came to protecting a pipeline from a rupture that could cause a disaster.