Denver Water operates an extensive distribution system spanning roughly 4,000 square miles and manages several capital construction projects located throughout the thousands of acres of property it owns. Denver Water is a self-insured governmental entity and carries supplemental insurance. Denver Water Operations and Maintenance, Safety Staff and Office of General Counsel are key stakeholders in administering the process associated with these Incident investigations.
Damages to underground utilities occur for a number of reasons, but the main drivers are usually excavators hitting accurately or inaccurately marked lines. There may have been failure to call for locates or a locator’s failure to mark the utilities correctly. Damages may have occurred on behalf of Denver Water or another entity, so an investigation is required to determine who the negligent party is. The investigation should include factual information such as who hit the utility, how they hit it, and why they hit it. Once these factors are determined, fault and/or causal factors for the event can be designated. Denver Water is seeking a third-party agency to conduct investigations for these Incidents. Denver Water can then refer to this factual investigation to help determine negligence.
Denver Water currently uses a third-party contractor to facilitate hit utility investigations and reporting.
