Utilities, contractors, property owners in Allegheny County issued fines for PA One Call System violations

Several utilities, contractors and property owners in Allegheny County have been fined for alleged violations of the PA One Call system that damaged underground lines in 2018.

On Tuesday, the PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee announced 70 disciplinary actions statewide, issuing $75,000 in fines against 33 facility owners, excavators and project owners.

The committee, a division of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, was created in 2017 to review alleged violations of the Underground Utility Line Protection Act and to issue warning letters and administrative penalties.

The PA One Call system alerts utilities within an intended digging area and prompts them to mark where their facilities are located on that property. State law requires contractors and residents to contact PA One Call by calling 811 at least three business days prior to excavation.

“There are about 6,000 reported hits on underground facilities across Pennsylvania every year, which means that a pipeline or other vital utility system is struck once every 20 minutes during the average workday,” PUC Commissioner John F. Coleman Jr. said “Our goal … is to cut the number of those incidents by eliminating exemptions and strengthening enforcement.”

The Damage Prevention Committee acted on the following 2018 cases in Allegheny County:

• 1460 Mohican Drive, Mt. Lebanon (1-inch plastic service line) — Peoples Gas ($1,000 fine), Niando Construction ($250 fine), Municipality of Mt. Lebanon ($250 fine).
• 2522 Hunting Ridge Trail, South Fayette Township (underground line) — West Penn Power (education required), Iron Dog Plumbing (education required), Verizon Pennsylvania LLC ($500).
• 840 Missionary Drive, Baldwin Borough (water service line) — Pennsylvania-American Water ($1,000), Verizon Pennsylvania LLC ($750).
• Radium Street, Pittsburgh (3-inch plastic utility line) — Frank J. Zottola Construction (warning letter), Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (warning letter).
• Mt. Nebo Road, Ohio Township (service line) — Ohio Township ($250), West View Water Authority ($1,000), Allegheny County Department of Public Works ($1,000), Peoples Gas ($1,000), Zottola Construction ($500).
• 313 S. Pasadena Drive, Fox Chapel Borough (underground facility) — Verizon ($750), Independent Enterprises Inc. ($1,500).
• 319 Mt. Pleasant Road, Pittsburgh (distribution line) — Verizon ($1,500).

In Beaver County, the committee acted on the following case:

• 3020 Clairmont Court, Raccoon Township (1-inch plastic service line) — LM&R Excavating LLC ($1,000), Moranda Homes (warning).

The PUC said it will offset the costs of administering the program through the fines collected.