Nacogdoches approve fines for breaking utility lines

A contractor installs cables on Pecan Street south of Festival Park on Tuesday.
Nicole Bradford/The Daily Sentinel, Nicole Bradford/The Daily Sentinel

The Daily Sentinel
By NICOLE BRADFORD Staff Writer
October 3, 2023

Nacogdoches could begin fining contractors hundreds of dollars a day for breaking underground utility lines after a near daily string of mishaps.

The Nacogdoches City Council last month approved a new ordinance designed to address concerns about broken underground lines and unsightly equipment related to ongoing work in public rights of way.

Failure to comply with the ordinance is a Class C misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 per day fine.

“I guess it’s a curse and a blessing, we are saturated with activity primarily to install fiber optic cable in our town,” City Engineer and Public Works Director Steve Bartlett said. “I think we have 14 to 17 boring rigs as we speak drilling through something.”

But as many residents and businesses are painfully aware, all that activity has a downside.

“We’ve had a lot of strikes where they hit private or public service lines — it’s almost an every day event,” Bartlett said.

Before digging, contractors must now locate utilities by “potholing,” or using a series of test holes to determine both location and depth of underground lines before digging.

“They’ve actually got to physically locate them now, which will give them a confirmation of depth,” Bartlett said. “That’s usually the problem. They know they’re there, but they’re not deep enough.”

The new ordinance also requires that contractors immediately fix damaged private services before moving forward.

In one case, a resident who had been gone for part of the summer returned to a ghastly disaster after a sewage line was ruptured by digging, Councilman Chad Huckaby said.

“It was an ordeal. I don’t know if she’s back in her house yet,” he said.

Going forward, fiber optic installers must limit installation of the taller, pedestal style utility boxes to commercial areas.

“That’s the biggest complaint I’ve had,” Councilman Brad Maule said regarding the unpopular “tower boxes,” as they are called. “That, and breaking water lines and then not fixing them.”

In addition, work hours will be limited to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with no boring allowed after 2 p.m. on Fridays.

“So we don’t get a 4:49 p.m. water line bore that takes our crews all night to fix,” Bartlett said.

Nicole Bradford’s email is nicole.bradford@dailysentinel.com.