The Oklahoma City Utilities Department has released a Private Development Design Manual that outlines current and new requirements for water and wastewater infrastructure for private development. The new requirements take effect Nov. 1, 2024.
The design manual covers approved construction methods, standards for sanitary sewer, and much more. Among the pages are several crucial changes, including the incorporation of new materials allowed for water service lines, expanding the list of approved materials. Also of note are the revised guidelines for easement widths. These guidelines increased the widths to provide adequate space for future maintenance and main replacement.
“While these requirement changes are important to the reliability of our operations, we’re excited to see how this new centralized resource benefits the development community and increases the efficiency of the plan review process” said Dustin Segraves, Private Development engineer for the Oklahoma City Utilities Department. “The manual should be especially valuable to those who are not local to the area or are unfamiliar with our system.”
Stakeholder input was essential in shaping the manual to be both practical and supportive of ongoing economic development.
“The manual is the result of a collaborative effort with developers and contractors over the past two years,” Segraves added. By engaging with the community, we identified ways to meet the City’s operational needs as well as those who are planning to develop within City limits.”
As part of the transition, Oklahoma City will not enforce the new requirements on plans submitted for review prior to Nov. 1, when the new requirements take effect. All plans not approved by the effective date will be subject to meeting the new requirements.
Developers and other interested parties are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the manual ahead of the effective date. The “Private Development Design Manual for Water & Wastewater Design Requirements” is available online at okc.gov. For additional information or questions, please contact the Utilities Private Development team at wwprivdev@okc.gov.
The Oklahoma City Utilities Department is committed to fostering an environment that supports economic prosperity while ensuring the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure remains safe and reliable.
Source: press release