CDMCS PIP Best Practices Guide
CDMCS PIP Best Practices Guide
CDMCS PIP Best Practices Guide
PREVENTION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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All users of this guide should first consult authorized information sources including, but not
limited to, the following: (i) employer practices, (ii) industry practices, (iii) federal and state
statutes and regulations, and (iv) applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. This guide
is not a substitute for any employer or industry practice, nor does it supersede any applicable
local, state or federal law, regulation, ordinance or policy.
The CDMCS and its members shall be held harmless from any interpretation or
application of the information contained herein.
1 .USACE Federal navigation channels as referenced in this document are to include those channels USACE contracts with industry to dredge for others.
Dredging companies and pipeline companies must work together to ensure safe dredging
activity around pipeline facilities. Within inland waterways such as rivers, bays, lakes,
coastal areas and offshore areas, pipelines co-exist with vessel and boat activity of all
kinds. With more pipelines being installed every day, combined with increasing dredging
and marine construction activity in the same waters, the chance of a dredge contacting
a pipeline continues to grow. Accidental interactions and incidents have caused spills,
outages, gas releases, injuries, and loss of human life.
Pipeline Incident Prevention is a recommended best practices guide (“guide”) for the dredging
and pipeline industries. It addresses pipeline safety, damage prevention, and emergency response
in the marine environment. All mariners and pipeline personnel involved in dredging and marine
construction activities should consider this guide a resource and keep it readily available.
This section provides help for planning, identifying, and avoiding pipelines. It is for
dredging and marine construction personnel, including (assistant) project engineers,
(assistant) project managers, superintendents, captains, and equipment operators. These
recommendations are not all-inclusive. Communicating concerns and mitigating risk
early and often with all parties during project planning and throughout implementation
are crucial to project success. Take every opportunity to ask the pipeline company basic
information about each pipeline in your project area and incorporate the following ten
elements into your planning, project scope, pipeline avoidance, and emergency response
plans. Resources for locating this information are in Appendix II.
Pipelines that are abandoned and/or removed by the pipeline company may still appear in
USACE project plans and specifications. Pipeline removal can be partial or full. Partial removal
is when only a section is removed, such as the center section in the navigation channel. Other
sections of the pipeline may be left behind and intact along the slopes near the shoreline. Treat
such pipelines as active, especially if they are listed in the federal and state pipeline databases.
Dredging companies should cross-check all pipeline information provided in USACE project
plans and specifications with federal and state pipeline databases and the pipeline companies
themselves.
Dredging and marine construction activities may directly impact the water bottom where
pipelines and other utilities may exist. Obtain location information directly from the owner
by contacting an 811 one call center at least 7 business days before starting work. Every state
has laws for notifying an 811 one call center, and it is a free service. Know the 811 One Call
requirements for the state in which you are working.
Pipelines need to be respected for their potential hazardous impacts to human life and
the environment when ruptured. Tolerance zones are areas near the pipelines where no
activity or work should occur. Tolerance zones are generally addressed in state “call-before-
you-dig” laws, in pipeline company policies and agreements, in USACE project plans and
specifications, and in dredging company policies and agreements. Understanding the roles
pipeline and dredging companies play in safety and damage prevention will help create a
successful project. Precautions by all parties need to be understood, agreed to, and in place
before the project begins.
Avoidance procedures should be followed for dredging and marine construction projects of all
sizes. Pipeline companies and dredging companies generally have in-house tolerance zones
or “No-Go Zones” where work may be unsafe or have special conditions. Before work begins all
parties should be in mutual agreement on the tolerance zones.
Due diligence is necessary when gathering pipeline coordinates, ownership, and contact
information. Multiple sources must be checked, and inconsistencies may exist across those
sources. In many cases other utilities, such as electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications,
may also exist in the project area to which the same general precautions below apply.
Familiarize yourself with the different pipeline resources available. Each data source has a
different layout and provides different information. It is essential to obtain information and
contacts from pipeline companies. Do not be shy to question the pipeline companies. It is
their responsibility to provide you with the facts. Before a project starts, all parties must agree
on project plans, avoidance, and safety measures, and work together to stay informed through
project duration.
SECTION 5:
SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
(FOR DREDGING COMPANIES)
Saving lives, protecting the environment, and effectively responding to emergencies are the
focus of this guide. Ask the pipeline company if it has any specific safety, environmental, or
emergency concerns and capture them in the safety plan. Verify that all project and vessel
personnel are familiar with the plan. Re-evaluate the plan as new hazards emerge and ensure
that personnel are informed about changes or updates to the plan. The following topics are
recommended for inclusion in project emergency plans.
•• If you see a pipeline sign nearby, call •• List of all pipelines in the project
the emergency number listed. scope
•• Notify the USCG and the National •• List of the products in each pipeline
Response Center (NRC): 800-424-8802.
•• Size of the pipeline diameter
•• Call 911 again to update emergency
•• 24/7 emergency contact number
responders on the situation.
•• Local pipeline company
•• Check state laws for other entities
representative contact number
you must notify, such as the Louisiana
State Police Hazardous Materials •• If you think a pipeline was struck
Hotline: 877-925-6595. but no leak occurs, call both the
emergency and local contacts.
•• Notify USACE Quality Assurance POC,
Reporting a regulated pipeline strike
Safety POC, or Project Manager on the
to the pipeline company is required
contract.
by law.
The Dutra Group’s clamshell dredge performs channel Manson Construction’s cutter suction dredge Robert M.
dredging in California. White keeps Louisiana’s Port Fourchon open for business.
Pipeline right-of-way staff, land agents, engineers, and operations employees need to
understand certain information when planning for a dredging or marine construction project in
order to prevent pipeline damage and loss of life. In addition to the information below, unique
situations may arise that require frequent communication and mitigation of risk early and often.
Proactively engage with the dredging company to improve project scoping and risk mitigation
and take every opportunity to ask for basic information about its operations in your project area.
Dredging and marine construction •• Identify the type, purpose, and staging
are more complicated than on-land area of each support vessel. (These
excavation activities. Essential actions to may be barges or other project vessels
take include: which may contact the water bottom
away from the primary work area.)
•• Identify all pipelines within the project
•• Identify overnight or project pause
scope.
locations for the dredge and
•• Attend planning, pre-construction, associated vessels or equipment.
and kick-off meetings hosted by the
•• Specifically ask if any spudding or
dredging company.
anchoring will occur when relocating for
•• Ensure applicable pipeline crossing repairs, work stoppage, or maintenance
agreements and other legal that is not in the project location.
documents are addressed early and
finalized in the project execution plan.
PIPELINE SAFETY AND
QUESTIONS TO ASK 6.6 DAMAGE PREVENTION
6.5 DREDGING COMPANIES Pipeline personnel should consult
Asking the right questions will help company requirements for pipeline
identify hazards. Pipeline companies safety and get additional help from
should record answers to the questions experts in that field. Marine pipeline
below in the communication plan, incidents are far more impactful
project execution plan, and emergency and difficult to manage than on-
response plan: land pipeline incidents. It is highly
recommended to have a damage
•• Will spuds or anchors be used? When,
prevention plan in place and customized
where, and how?
for each project, using the data
•• What is the spud or anchor referenced in Section 6.5. The following
penetration depth, dimensions, and are additional considerations:
weight?
•• Identify the most hazardous situations.
•• Is the discharge pipe laid out and
moved by heavy equipment? •• Evaluate risk to the pipeline(s) and
have an appropriate action or response
•• Is the dredged material placement plan.
area near a pipeline?
•• Ask to be onsite when the dredge
•• Where does dredged material go, or other equipment is nearing the
and is it moved by heavy equipment? pipeline.
www.cdmcs.org
PROVIDE NOAA WITH
6.7 UPDATED PIPELINE
INFORMATION
Pipeline companies are encouraged to
provide NOAA with final as-built data
and contact information by replying to
NOAA’s annual Permit/Public Notice
Status Report. This will ensure the
www.dredgingcontractors.org
accuracy of NOAA’s navigational charts.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock’s cutter suction dredge Carolina Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel’s dustpan dredge Wallace
deepens the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in Texas. McGeorge dredges the Port of Baton Rouge in Louisiana.
SECTION 7:
PIPELINE INCIDENT PREVENTION TIMELINE
(FOR DREDGING AND PIPELINE COMPANIES)
Ensuring safety in all areas and completing a project on time can be complicated. Advance
planning that identifies stakeholders and potential onsite problem areas can be keys to
success.
EMERGENCY
ACT IMMEDIATELY IF A PIPELINE STRIKE IS SUSPECTED
Shut down or minimize use of all possible ignition sources: motors, generators, lights, etc.
Call 911 (required), Channel 16, or U.S. Coast Guard & describe your location.
Contact pipeline company emergency number in your plan to shut down the line.
.Notify USACE Quality Assurance POC, Safety POC, or Project Manager on the contract.
This recommended hazard mitigation checklist promotes safe dredging and marine construction operations near underwater gas and
hazardous liquid pipelines located in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers federal navigation channels. It was developed by the Council for Dredging
and Marine Construction Safety (CDMCS) in consultation with professionals working in and regulating the dredging and pipeline industries. It
does not replace or override any individual entity’s health, safety, and environmental protocols. It is a general recommendation on suggested
considerations in the dredging and marine construction industry. It does not create an obligation or requirement on any private sector company
or public or government entity. All users should first consult authorized information sources including, but not limited to, the following: (i)
employer practices, (ii) industry practices, (iii) federal and state statutes and regulations, and (iv) applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances.
It is not a substitute for any employer or industry practice, nor does it supersede any applicable local, state or federal law, regulation, ordinance or
policy. The CDMCS and its members shall be held harmless from any interpretation or application of the information contained herein.
Regional Offices
www.phmsa.dot.gov/about-phmsa/offices BOEM Maps for pipelines, platforms
and wells in federal waters -
National Pipeline Mapping System www.boem.gov/Maps-and-GIS-Data
(NPMS)
www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC BSEE Offshore Data Center for pipelines,
ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) – OFFICE OF platforms and wells in federal waters -
COAST SURVEY www.data.bsee.gov
PHMSA
CALIFORNIA
Southern Region Office - (404) 832-1147
Responsible for regulating all interstate
gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in AL CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES
COMMISSION –
www.cpuc.ca.gov/pipeline_safety/
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT –
www.adem.state.al.us
Pipeline Safety Division - (415) 703-2214
Responsible for regulating all intrastate
Permits & Services Division - gas pipelines in CA
(334) 271-7714
DELAWARE
DELAWARE ONE CALL –
www.missutility.net/delaware
DELAWARE PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMISSION -
www.depsc.delaware.gov/natural-gas- Dial 811 or 1-800-282-8555
regulation/
FLORIDA
Pipeline Safety Division - (302) 736-7526
Responsible for regulating all intrastate
gas pipelines in DE FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMISSION (FL PSC) –
www.psc.state.fl.us
PHMSA
(850) 413-6582
Responsible for regulating all intrastate
Eastern Region Office - (609) 771-7800 gas pipelines in FL
Responsible for regulating all interstate
gas and interstate and intrastate
hazardous liquid pipelines in DE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(FL DEP) – GEORGIA PUBLIC SERVICE
www.floridadep.gov/districts COMMISSION –
www.psc.ga.gov/facilities-protection/
pipeline-safety/
Permits Division – (850) 245-2036
PHMSA
Navigation Division – (904) 232-2042
Regulatory Division – (904) 232-1177
Southern Region Office - (404) 832-1147
Responsible for regulating all interstate gas
and interstate & intrastate hazardous liquid
BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY pipelines in GA
MANAGEMENT (BOEM) –
www.boem.gov
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC UTILITIES –
PHMSA www.mass.gov/orgs/pipeline-safety-
division
Eastern Region Office - (609) 771-7800 Pipeline Safety Division - (617) 305-3537
Responsible for regulating all interstate Responsible for regulating all intrastate
gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in MD gas pipelines in MA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSISSIPPI ONE CALL –
www.ms811.org
1-888-910-4853
PHMSA
PHMSA
NEW YORK
PHMSA
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
(NEW YORK DISTRICT) –
www.nan.usace.army.mil
Eastern Region Office - (609) 771-7800
Responsible for regulating all interstate
Operations Divisions - (917) 790-8400 gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in NY
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region & Atlantic Southern Region Office - (404) 832-1147
OCS Region - 1-800-200-4853 Responsible for regulating all interstate
gas and interstate & intrastate hazardous
liquid pipelines in NC
NEW YORK ONE CALL –
www.newyork-811.com
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
(WILMINGTON DISTRICT) –
NY One Call is for the following counties: www.saw.usace.army.mil
Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond,
Queens, Nassau & Suffolk. Dial 811 or
Regulatory Division - (910) 251-4633
1-800-272-4480 or (631) 778-8111 (local)
Contracting Division - (910) 251-4884
PHMSA
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
(PORTLAND DISTRICT) –
www.nwp.usace.army.mil
Eastern Region Office - (609) 771-7800
Responsible for regulating all interstate
gas and interstate and intrastate
Navigation Division - (503) 808-4364
hazardous liquid pipelines in RI
Regulatory Division - (503) 808-4373
Engineering Division - (503) 808-4703
Contracting Division - (503) 808-4620
GULFSAFE –
PHMSA
www.gulfsafe.org
PHMSA
Pipeline Safety Division – (360) 664-1160
Responsible for safety regulation of all
Eastern Region Office - (609) 771-7800 intrastate gas and hazardous liquid
Responsible for regulating all interstate pipelines
gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in VA
PHMSA
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
(NORFOLK DISTRICT) –
www.nao.usace.army.mil Western Region Office – (720) 963-3160
Responsible for regulating all interstate
gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in WA
Navigation Division - (757) 201-7125
Regulatory Division - (757) 201-7657
Engineering Division - (757) 201-7882
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT
Contracting Division - (757) 201-7026 OF ECOLOGY –
www.ecology.wa.gov
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