Hello,
a quick question for the collective knowledge, with the most important details and information briefly summarized:
- New construction planned, building permit / planning permission application to be submitted next week
- Street: fully serviced (water, sewage, electricity, gas, etc.), road was resurfaced sometime between 1990 and 2000
- Neighbors all properly connected, but mostly older houses
- Water valve (VA) sign is located on the right side of the fence next to our driveway
I requested a pipeline map from the water utility, but they could not provide one, apparently because there are no suitable documents or maps available. The blue water valve (VA) sign indicates that a water shut-off valve is located on the main line beneath the street. The valve was found exactly where the sign indicates at the roadside (on the opposite side of the street).
During an on-site visit, the water utility representative said there should be a pipe there, but they didn’t know exactly where since it’s not marked on their maps. I was advised to carry out exploratory excavations at my property boundary, where the pipe should be located at about 1.50 meters (5 feet) depth.
The first exploratory excavation at the spot suggested by the employee (slightly to the left of the water valve sign) was unfortunately unsuccessful. I dug a hole approximately 80 cm (31 inches) wide and about 180-190 cm (71-75 inches) deep, also extending somewhat underground towards the sidewalk. I refilled the hole afterward because sand and soil were already crumbling at the edges. I plan to dig a trench to the right of this spot when time permits to continue searching for the pipe.
A detail at the boundary: The sewage maps were also somewhat inaccurate, but I did find the sewer pipe at approximately 1.20 meters (4 feet) depth, extending about 80-100 cm (31-39 inches) onto my property.
Question: What rights or options do I have if I don’t find anything with further exploratory digging? Is there any chance I can require the local water utility to perform its own search for me, ideally at no cost? I got the impression the employee was reluctant to take any initiative here. I’m happy to continue with further excavations, but each time it requires a lot of time, effort, and sweat, especially since we don’t live on-site.
a quick question for the collective knowledge, with the most important details and information briefly summarized:
- New construction planned, building permit / planning permission application to be submitted next week
- Street: fully serviced (water, sewage, electricity, gas, etc.), road was resurfaced sometime between 1990 and 2000
- Neighbors all properly connected, but mostly older houses
- Water valve (VA) sign is located on the right side of the fence next to our driveway
I requested a pipeline map from the water utility, but they could not provide one, apparently because there are no suitable documents or maps available. The blue water valve (VA) sign indicates that a water shut-off valve is located on the main line beneath the street. The valve was found exactly where the sign indicates at the roadside (on the opposite side of the street).
During an on-site visit, the water utility representative said there should be a pipe there, but they didn’t know exactly where since it’s not marked on their maps. I was advised to carry out exploratory excavations at my property boundary, where the pipe should be located at about 1.50 meters (5 feet) depth.
The first exploratory excavation at the spot suggested by the employee (slightly to the left of the water valve sign) was unfortunately unsuccessful. I dug a hole approximately 80 cm (31 inches) wide and about 180-190 cm (71-75 inches) deep, also extending somewhat underground towards the sidewalk. I refilled the hole afterward because sand and soil were already crumbling at the edges. I plan to dig a trench to the right of this spot when time permits to continue searching for the pipe.
A detail at the boundary: The sewage maps were also somewhat inaccurate, but I did find the sewer pipe at approximately 1.20 meters (4 feet) depth, extending about 80-100 cm (31-39 inches) onto my property.
Question: What rights or options do I have if I don’t find anything with further exploratory digging? Is there any chance I can require the local water utility to perform its own search for me, ideally at no cost? I got the impression the employee was reluctant to take any initiative here. I’m happy to continue with further excavations, but each time it requires a lot of time, effort, and sweat, especially since we don’t live on-site.
AlexAmy schrieb:
For every building plot, there is a water shut-off valve and a sewer shut-off valve located on or near the street, each marked at the respective property boundary with water and sewer signs. Hence the question about responsibilities. If a valve is installed, there is usually a pipe connected to it – otherwise, the valve would make no sense and would have been installed completely unnecessarily.However, without a house, it also doesn’t make sense for even the tiniest section of pipe to follow from the valve.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
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AlexAmy schrieb:
For every building plot, there is a water valve and a sewer valve located on or near the street, each marked with a water and sewer sign at the respective property boundary. That’s why the question of responsibilities arises. If a valve is installed, there is usually a pipe connected to it—otherwise, the valve would make absolutely no sense and would be completely pointless.Do you know this for sure—or is it just your assumption? Plots are often subdivided. I rather suspect the existing valve was installed for a different construction project, or perhaps during road works they proactively installed a valve for your property—but installing a "dead-end" branch line at the property boundary without knowing where the connection will ultimately lead? No, they almost certainly would not have done that. That’s probably why there are no documents available either. Save yourself the manhole probing. Just apply for the connection, and that’s that. The branch line will be installed anyway, and they won’t be digging up the whole street just for you now.Of course, I’m not absolutely sure. I assume this because, so far, I have been told from all sides—some from professionals or directly from the sewage and water authority, except now from you—that there should be a pipe there if there is a valve. And that having a valve without a water pipe would be extremely unusual or practically a design flaw. In addition, for example, the sewage line also runs along the property.
But yes, I’m not 100% sure.
But yes, I’m not 100% sure.
AlexAmy schrieb:
Up until now, I was told by everyone – some professionals or directly from the wastewater and water utility, except from you – that there should be a pipe there if there is a valve. And that having a valve without a water pipe is extremely unusual or basically a planning error. When a street is excavated to renew a pipe, you want to avoid having to do it again soon because an adjacent meadow is sold and someone wants to build a house on it. So the T-piece for that house connection is installed right away, and the valve serves as the shut-off for now or later as the connection point for the branch pipe. Installing the branch pipe itself at the same time would be a planning mistake. After all, you don’t yet know the exact location of the potential future house, and there is no fee-paying connection for the branch pipe yet. The valve is therefore located in the T-piece of the main pipe, so the water marker should indicate the position of the pipe, as the valve is on it. The T-piece between the main pipe and the valve is kept as short as possible to prevent stagnant water at the opening. Stagnant water doesn’t stay fresh, and the pipe should function as a pipeline, not a breeding ground. What kind of substitute did you talk to during an intern’s vacation?
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AlexAmy schrieb:
There are simply no precise records anymore, and the water authority employee is passing the responsibility onto us, like "Well, you just have to search..." Well, I think something is wrong here. It can’t be that you are held responsible for locating water pipes when there might not even be any. If they don’t have any records, that’s their problem. After all, where else are you supposed to keep digging? Excavating on private property isn’t your job; it’s a matter for the authorities.
Tolentino schrieb:
Just apply for the connection, and that’s that. I agree.
ypg schrieb:
I agree. The problem is probably not the house connection, where the utility company first has to locate its pipe. Rather, the issue is that the original poster cannot move forward with the building application until the drainage plan is completed. In that case, I would simply draw the pipes where they are supposed to be according to the marker. What does a layperson have to do with the digital backlog affecting the water utility's CAD technicians?
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