New Infrastructure Design Standards

Governing requirements

• These standards are minimum requirements for the design and construction of Suburban Water infrastructure.
• They do not replace project-specific engineering calculations, final design analysis, construction specifications, or permit requirements.
• All construction shall conform to Suburban Water Technical Specifications.
• Any design shall meet or exceed the applicable minimum standards established by KDHE for public water supply systems in Kansas.
• Where different standards apply, the more stringent requirement governs unless Suburban approves an exception in writing.

1.1 Required starting point

• Any new development, main extension, or project that may require system improvements shall begin with a completed Petition for Engineering Study Water Main Extension and/or Service.
• The application is the required entry point for Suburban's review of infrastructure needs, probable project cost, and the most economical means of serving the property and district.
• The applicant identifies the owner/developer, describes the property, attaches the warranty deed, and submits drawings sufficient to evaluate the requested service.
• The applicant deposits the required engineering-study fee (retained by Suburban without interest) to initiate the probable-cost evaluation — stated as a 60-day timeframe.
• Acceptance of the application is not a promise or guarantee of future water service; it is the entry point for engineering review only.

1.2 Minimum application contents

• Applicant name and contact information.
• Identification of the subject property and ownership / developer status.
• Property description with attached warranty deed.
• Drawings or exhibits showing the property and requested service area.
• Engineering-study deposit amount.
• Applicant acknowledgement that the study is a probable-cost review only, without guarantee of service — plus signature and date.

1.3 Water Master Plan / capital improvements study

The current Water Master Plan is the primary planning document used to determine what major improvements are required to serve growth. It modeled current and projected conditions through 2045.

• Used together with the project engineering study, plats, demand data, and fire-flow needs to decide whether a development can be served from existing infrastructure or must build/fund offsite improvements.
• Evaluates pressure, fire flow, water age, pumping, storage, treatment capacity, source capacity, and future demand — roughly 75% of future demand is expected in the eastern District.
• Where the plan flags an area for looping, transmission, pressure, storage, or source work, Suburban may require the developer to install, fund, oversize, or proportionally participate as a condition of service.
• Master-plan costs are planning-level estimates; final scope, sizing, phasing, and cost responsibility are set by Suburban through project-specific engineering review.

1.4 Service connection permit conditions

• Subject to all applicable provisions of the Rules and Regulations of Suburban Water Company, Inc.
• The applicant obtains excavation permits, pays all city/township/county/state fees, and is responsible for excavation, backfill, and site restoration.
• On final inspection and acceptance, Suburban owns and maintains the service connection; the customer service line from there to the building is owned by the applicant.
• Suburban personnel shall have free, unobstructed access to the water meter at all times.
• A permit may be canceled or revised if materials and installation are not requested within 120 days of issue.

2.1 Pipe size & main classifications

• No public main shall be less than 6 inches in diameter unless otherwise specified.
• Transmission mains (source → pumping/reservoir) are 16″ or larger per the Master Plan and shall not be tapped.
• Major distribution mains include all other mains 16″+; may only be tapped by minor mains, with connections at intervals of at least 1,000 ft.
• Minor distribution mains are 6″–12″. Six-inch mains are permitted only on dead-ends that will not be extended.

2.2 System layout & capacity

• Mains shall be laid on a loop or grid with cross-connections no more than 1,000 ft apart.
• Subdivision cross mains shall be at least 8″ (a 6″ main is allowed only on a non-extending dead-end).
• The system shall have capacity for peak demand while maintaining 20 psi at any point.
• The distribution system is not designed to provide fire protection at all points within the district.

2.3 Location, separation & crossings

• Mains shall be placed outside the right-of-way whenever possible; when within ROW, at least 4 ft from back of curb, with bored street crossings ≥ 2 ft from curb at ≥ 42″ depth.
• Off-ROW mains go in easements (3:1 slope or flatter), centered, never in the rear of property.
• At least 10 ft horizontal from any sanitary/force main or storm sewer (edge-to-edge).
• At crossings, at least 18″ vertical clearance, joints kept as far from the sewer as possible, and a minimum 45° crossing angle.
• At least 10 ft from sewer structures, 5 ft from storm inlets/junction boxes, and 15 ft from buildings.

2.4 Dead-end mains

• Dead-end mains shall not exceed 700 ft, measured to the center of the cul-de-sac.
• Dead-ends intended for future extension run to the subdivision boundary with an in-line valve (same size as the main) and a restrained temporary fire hydrant.
• Where a subdivision benefits from a planned Master Plan main, the developer extends it to the plat boundary — cost responsibility limited to an 8″ main unless a larger size is needed.
• Dead-ends not intended for extension are at least 6″ between the last two hydrants.

2.5 Thrust restraint, locating & trench

• Thrust restraint may be restrained-joint pipe, thrust blocks, or straddle blocks; design assumes 250 psi, 1,500 psf soil bearing, and a 1.0 safety factor.
• For mains 16″+, straddle blocks replace thrust blocks; restrained-joint design follows DIPRA (DIP) and Uni-Bell (PVC).
• Utility marker tape and tracer wire are installed above every main.
• Provide 42″ minimum to 7 ft maximum cover; bedding aggregate from 6″ below to 12″ above the pipe.
• Backfill under roadways/curb/paving in ROW is flowable fill. No other conduits or utilities in a water-main trench.

2.6 Valves & valve boxes

• Transmission/major mains: three valves at every tee, four at every cross. Minor mains: two at every tee, three at every cross.
• Valves are placed at/near the ends of mains to allow future extension without loss of service.
• Fire-line connections get one valve on the fire line at the tee; air-release valves on all 12″+ mains at high points.
• Tapping sleeves/valves are minimized and allowed only case-by-case with justification and thrust blocks.
• Buried valves get valve boxes — ferrous screw-type in paved areas, AWWA C900 PVC (or equal) in grass.

2.7 Backflow, fire lines & hydrants

• Backflow prevention devices (BFPDs) are required on all fire lines and commercial buildings.
• A restrained valve is installed where fire lines connect to the public main; private fire hydrants after the BFPD are painted red and owner-maintained; no private fire line less than 4″.
• Residential subdivisions: a hydrant within 600 ft hose length of any building, with no more than 500 ft of street between hydrants.
• Commercial / industrial / apartments: hydrants placed so no more than 300 ft of hose is needed to reach the base of any exterior wall.
• No more than one hydrant on a 6″ dead-end main; hydrants at least 20 ft from curb-return PCs and never in the bottom of a ditch.

2.8 Service lines, meters & easements

• Main → meter service lines are public; meter → building lines are private. At least 10 ft from sanitary manholes, 5 ft from storm structures.
• Three-inch service lines are not allowed; no splice or fitting between the main and the meter; public service lines are HDPE.
• Meters sit in ROW/easement within 1 ft of the governing line. 2″ and smaller in a min. 5 ft × 5 ft easement; 3″+ in vaults with 10 ft of surrounding easement.
• Meters are outside paved areas unless approved; meter top set 14–18″ below the lid.
• Easements: 10 ft wide adjacent to ROW, 15 ft when detached, +2 ft per foot of trench depth beyond 7 ft. Legal descriptions sealed by a Kansas-registered surveyor.

3.1 Applicant responsibilities

• Pay for all furnished materials and perform the labor to excavate the tap hole and install the new service (minimum connection size 1″).
• Call utility locates and excavate per OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart P.
• Obtain material from Suburban's warehouse and have it installed at proper elevation, unbackfilled, before Suburban arrives.
• Notify Suburban for preliminary inspection with pressure on, pit set, before backfill; tracer wire on HDPE and poly-wrap on DIP must be inspected.
• Backfill to 12″ above pipe with ½″ clean crushed rock; place the Suburban-provided locator ball ≤ 12″ below grade; restore the site to original condition.

3.2 General requirements

• The main and corporation stop are furnished and installed by Suburban; all service lines are HDPE.
• Taps 1½″+ are at least 5 ft from any joint or other tap; 1″ taps at least 18″.
• HDPE runs from the corporation stop to the property line at ~42–46″ depth at the pit, 42″ minimum elsewhere — one continuous line, in line with the corp stop, perpendicular to the main (no horizontal bends).
• Meter pit sits in ROW/easement within 1 ft of the property line on crushed-rock fill, in grassy areas unless approved.
• The meter is set 15–18″ from the register to the pit cover, with the cover flush to final grade.

3.3 Final inspection checklist

• Slope pit and lid to grade; correct pits set too high or too low (only Suburban-approved extension rings).
• Confirm the meter is upright, centered, and set 15–18″ below the lid.
• Clean out the pit so both setter couplings are visible; on 1½″–2″ services, ensure the bypass valve is uncovered.
• Replace incorrect lids with Suburban's current standard cover and ring.
• No other equipment or modifications inside the pit (including irrigation taps). Complete repairs before requesting final inspection.

3.4 Taps 4 inches & larger

• All 4″+ taps are scheduled mornings only; fire-line taps wait for written approval of hydrostatic testing from the fire district.
• Expose at least 4 ft of main — 1 ft behind, 1 ft below, 7 ft in front — with OSHA-compliant trench slopes; taps at least 2 ft from any joint or other tap.
• Provide ≥ 7 ft of uninterrupted DIP PC 350, C900 PVC DR18, or HDPE C906 4710 DR13.5 out of the service valve before any fitting (HDPE with an MJ adapter).
• Fire-line taps require a BFPD within 6 ft of the tap, with a low-flow meter present at inspection.
• Inspect piping/fittings before backfill — call the inspection line for preliminary inspection.

4.1 Relationship to the master plan

• The current Water Master Plan is the planning basis for requiring an offsite main, storage, transmission, or source improvement.
• Improvement letters and refund-agreement exhibits stay consistent with the master plan and project engineering study, subject to final field conditions and Suburban's judgment.

4.2 When a refund agreement is required

• When a proposed extension will also be available to serve additional tracts or future customers beyond the petitioner's property.
• The agreement creates a defined refund area for the shared-benefit portion and documents pro-rata reimbursement from later participants.
• Provided pursuant to Section XII, Paragraph F.2 of Suburban Water's KCC-approved tariffs.

4.3 Required agreement components

• Identify the petitioner, Suburban Water, and the specific extension to be constructed.
• The petitioner deposits the estimated extension cost (cashier's check or irrevocable letter of credit), adjusted to actual cost.
• If actual cost is less, the difference is refunded without interest; if more, Suburban invoices and the petitioner pays within 30 days.
• Suburban retains ownership and title to the supply main at all times.
• Refund-area boundaries (Exhibit B / Appendix 1) are permanent once established; Appendix 2 lists owners; Exhibit C states the per-customer charge and methodology.

4.4 Refund charge & administration

• Suburban collects a pro-rata share of the original cost as new connections or enlargements are made in the refund area.
• Per-customer charge is generally the development's allocated extension cost divided by potential customers/lots, unless Suburban approves another method.
• Collected shares are paid to the petitioner within 90 days; collection stops five years from the agreement date, with no interest unless required by tariff.

4.6 Minimum exhibit package

Petition form — minimum content