West Virginia Utilities (Sewer and Water) Contractor Examination

Before breaking ground for a private water or sewer trench in West Virginia, an excavator must notify the statewide one-call system (WV 811 / 811) at least how far in advance?

• ANot less than 2 calendar hours on the same day as excavation
• BNot less than 30 calendar days so markings never expire
• CNo notice is required on private commercial or residential property
• DNot less than 48 business hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays

Under IBC 2018 Section 1804.4, the ground immediately adjacent to a building foundation must be sloped away from the wall at not less than which rate for a minimum distance of 10 feet, unless an exception applies?

• AOne unit vertical in 2 units horizontal (50-percent slope)
• BOne unit vertical in 48 units horizontal (2-percent slope) as the general rule
• CA level grade for the first 10 feet so surface water ponds away from utilities
• DOne unit vertical in 20 units horizontal (5-percent slope)

IBC 2018 Section 1804.3 requires excavation backfill placed outside a foundation to be which of the following?

• AAny excavated spoil, including stumps and scrap lumber, if it is compacted in 24-inch lif…
• BOnly flowable fill; soil backfill is prohibited next to foundation walls
• CSoil free of organic material, construction debris, cobbles, and boulders, or controlled…
• DUncompacted topsoil placed in a single lift against the waterproofing

On a new private utility corridor, clearing and grubbing is performed primarily to:

• ACompact the finished pavement section before pipe is delivered
• BDisinfect the water main before hydrostatic testing
• CEstablish the final invert elevations of gravity sewer
• DRemove trees, brush, stumps, and roots so trench and grade work can proceed on a prepared…

Where silt fence is used for temporary sediment control along a utility trench corridor, standard practice is to install it:

• AAlong the ridge line only, with the fabric laid loosely on top of the grass
• BInside the trench on the pipe crown to filter groundwater
• CAcross the channel of a live stream as the only erosion control
• DOn the contour, trenched in at the downhill edge of disturbed soil so runoff cannot under…

A sewer trench will pass beside an existing building footing. IBC 2018 Section 1804.1 requires which action before the excavation reduces vertical or lateral support for that foundation?

• AIncrease trench depth so the pipe is below the footing influence zone without any protect…
• BPlace the spoil pile against the foundation wall to replace lost support
• CNotify the building official after the footing has already rotated
• DUnderpin or otherwise protect the foundation against detrimental lateral or vertical move…

Under the IBC 2018 Section 1804.6 exception, compacted fill 12 inches in depth or less that will support a shallow foundation may omit a project-specific geotechnical report only if the in-place dry density is at least:

• A70 percent of ASTM D698 Standard Proctor with no inspection
• B100 percent of the loose truck density with no moisture control
• C50 percent of ASTM D1557 if the fill is organic topsoil
• D90 percent of the maximum dry density at optimum moisture, determined by ASTM D1557, and…

Before placing engineered fill or beginning trench excavation on a vegetated site, standard sitework practice is to:

• ABlend topsoil into the first lift of trench backfill to improve compaction
• BLeave topsoil in place so organic matter can bind the pipe bedding
• CStrip and stockpile topsoil separately so it is not mixed into structural fill or the pip…
• DUse stripped topsoil as the only bedding under pressure water mains

After a private water-service trench is restored next to a building, finished grade should be set so that:

• AA swale holds standing water against the foundation to keep the backfill moist
• BThe trench crown is left 12 inches below surrounding grade as a settlement basin
• CGrade slopes toward the building so the service tap remains submerged
• DSurface water drains away from the foundation, consistent with IBC 2018 site-grading rules

IBC 2018 Section 1803.5.4 requires a subsurface investigation to locate the groundwater table when the lowest floor is below adjacent finished ground and the water table may be:

• AMore than 50 feet below the lowest floor
• BOnly if the site is in a mapped coastal high-hazard area
• COnly after the building is occupied and leakage appears
• DAbove or within 5 feet below the elevation of that lowest floor

In a mapped floodway, IBC 2018 Section 1804.5 does not allow grading or fill to be approved unless:

• AThe contractor places uncompacted fill and plants grass within 30 days
• BThe fill is limited to organic topsoil regardless of floodway status
• CA registered design professional demonstrates by hydrologic and hydraulic analyses that t…
• DThe excavator verbally notifies adjacent owners after the fill is placed

When groundwater continuously enters a sewer trench and softens the bottom, the first construction objective of dewatering is to:

• AIncrease pipe buoyancy so the sewer can be floated into grade
• BWash native fines into the pipe joints to seal them
• CEliminate the need for any bedding under the pipe
• DLower the water so a stable, unyielding trench bottom and specified bedding can be placed

Under the APWA Uniform Color Code used with 811 marks, blue markings identify the approximate location of:

• AElectric power
• BGas, oil, or steam
• CPotable water
• DSanitary sewer or drain

IBC 2018 Section 1803.5.1 requires soil materials for geotechnical classification to be classified in accordance with:

• AOSHA soil Types A, B, and C only, with no laboratory classification
• BAASHTO soil groups exclusively, even for building-code investigations
• CColor of the spoil pile with no visual or laboratory method
• DASTM D2487 (Unified Soil Classification System)

IBC 2018 Figure 1808.7.1, for a building on a descending slope, sets the required setback from the slope surface to the face of the footing at H/3, and that required setback need not exceed:

• A4 feet
• B100 feet
• CThe pipe diameter of the nearest utility
• D40 feet

If a utility excavation interrupts natural surface drainage, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651 requires the employer to:

• ADirect all roof drains and street runoff into the open trench to test the sewer
• BStop only if employees request it; surface water is not a competent-person concern
• CFill the trench with water overnight to compact the bedding
• DUse diversion ditches, dikes, or other suitable means to keep surface water out of the ex…

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651 requires excavated materials or equipment that could fall or roll into an excavation to be kept at least how far from the edge, unless a sufficient retaining device is used?

• A6 inches
• B15 feet in all cases, with no retaining-device option
• CFlush with the trench wall so the spoil can brace the face
• D2 feet (0.61 m)

Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.652, employees in an excavation 5 feet or deeper must be protected by a sloping, benching, shoring, or shield system unless:

• AThe contractor has never had a cave-in on a previous job
• BWork will take less than one hour, regardless of soil type
• CThe trench is for water pipe rather than sewer pipe
• DThe excavation is made entirely in stable rock

A stairway, ladder, ramp, or other safe means of egress is required in a trench that is 4 feet or more deep so that no employee has more than how much lateral travel to reach it?

• A4 feet
• B100 feet
• C25 feet (7.62 m)
• DOne ladder per project, regardless of trench length

For simple sloping of excavations less than 20 feet deep in Type C soil, OSHA Subpart P Appendix B allows a maximum slope of:

• A3/4 horizontal to 1 vertical (53 degrees)
• BVertical (90 degrees)
• C1/2 horizontal to 1 vertical for any duration
• D1 1/2 horizontal to 1 vertical (34 degrees)

A Type C trench will be sloped at the OSHA maximum of 1 1/2 H:1V. The trench is 8 feet deep and 3 feet wide at the bottom. What is the required width at the ground surface?

• A11 feet
• B8 feet
• C3 feet
• D27 feet

A cohesive soil that would otherwise meet Type A strength cannot be classified as Type A if it:

• AHas an unconfined compressive strength of 2.0 tsf and is undisturbed
• BIs intact, unfissured clay with no vibration and no seepage
• CIs stable rock that will stand vertically
• DHas been previously disturbed

OSHA defines a competent person for excavation work as someone who can identify existing and predictable hazards and who:

• AHolds any driver’s license, regardless of excavation training
• BMay only recommend changes after a cave-in has occurred
• CHas authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them
• DMust be a registered professional engineer in every case

Estimate bank cubic yards for a 200-foot Type B trench sloped at 1H:1V on both sides. The trench is 6 feet deep and 4 feet wide at the bottom. Use the average-end-area (trapezoidal) method and round to the nearest cubic yard.

• A178 cubic yards
• B267 cubic yards
• C800 cubic yards
• D444 cubic yards

OSHA defines a trench as a narrow excavation in which the depth is greater than the width, and the width measured at the bottom is not greater than:

• A4 feet
• B6 feet
• C15 feet (4.6 m)
• D50 feet

Daily inspections of excavations, adjacent areas, and protective systems must be made by a competent person:

• AOnly on Mondays, unless employees complain
• BAfter backfill is complete, solely for the as-built file
• COnly when the trench is deeper than 20 feet
• DPrior to the start of work and as needed throughout the shift, and after every rainstorm…

A vertical-wall utility trench is 240 feet long, 3.0 feet wide, and 5.5 feet deep. What is the bank volume to the nearest cubic yard?

• A49 cubic yards
• B396 cubic yards
• C1,320 cubic yards
• D147 cubic yards

In OSHA Subpart P Appendix B, the maximum allowable slope for stable rock in excavations less than 20 feet deep is:

• A1 1/2 H:1V
• B1H:1V
• C3/4 H:1V
• DVertical (90 degrees)

For simple sloping of excavations less than 20 feet deep in Type A soil, the OSHA maximum allowable slope is:

• A1 1/2 H:1V
• BVertical in all previously disturbed Type A soils
• C3/4 H:1V (53 degrees)
• D2H:1V only

Protective systems for excavations more than 20 feet deep must be:

• ACopied from any 8-foot trench-box brochure without regard to depth limits
• BOmitted if employees work quickly
• CLimited to sloping at 1/4 H:1V chosen by the operator
• DDesigned by a registered professional engineer in accordance with 29 CFR 1926.652(b) or (…

Granular soil that is submerged, or soil from which water is freely seeping, is classified under OSHA Appendix A as:

• AType A if a pocket penetrometer once read 1.5 tsf above the water
• BType B in all cases because it is granular
• CType C
• DStable rock

OSHA Appendix A defines Type A cohesive soil, in part, as soil with an unconfined compressive strength of:

• A0.5 tsf or less
• BExactly 0.75 tsf only
• CAny strength if the soil is sand
• D1.5 tons per square foot (144 kPa) or greater

When OSHA soil classification is used to design sloping or timber shoring, the competent person must base the classification on:

• AA single glance at the spoil color from the truck cab
• BThe pipe material being installed
• CThe bid quantity of rock versus dirt
• DAt least one visual and at least one manual analysis

Appendix B allows a short-term Type A simple slope of 1/2 H:1V only when the excavation is open 24 hours or less and is not more than:

• A20 feet deep with no other limit
• B12 feet deep
• C4 feet deep
• D30 feet deep if a trench box is nearby but unused

Concrete thrust blocks are provided at water-main fittings primarily to:

• AIncrease the interior diameter of the pipe
• BResist unbalanced hydrostatic thrust at bends, tees, reducers, and dead ends
• CReplace the need for any bedding under the pipe
• DDisinfect the line in accordance with AWWA C651

Under AWWA C600 installation practice for ductile-iron water mains, the hydrostatic pressure test is held for a duration of at least:

• A15 minutes
• B2 hours
• C24 hours with no pressure reading
• D7 days

New ductile-iron water pipe for potable service is commonly furnished with an interior cement-mortar lining in accordance with AWWA C104 primarily to:

• AIncrease the outside diameter so the pipe fits a larger trench
• BMake the pipe acceptable as a gravity sanitary sewer without further lining
• CEliminate the need for joint gaskets
• DReduce tuberculation and protect water quality on the interior surface

AWWA C600 sets the hydrostatic test pressure for a ductile-iron water main at not less than which value at the highest point along the test section?

• AThe working pressure with no multiplier
• B1.25 times the working pressure at that highest point
• CThree times the working pressure at the lowest hydrant
• DAtmospheric pressure only, as a visual leak check

Nonmetallic water pipe (such as PVC or HDPE) is typically installed with a continuous tracer wire so that:

• AThe wire can replace the need for hydrostatic testing
• BThe pipe becomes electrically continuous with a gas main
• CThe pipe can be located later with electronic locating equipment
• DThe wire serves as the only thrust restraint at bends

A gate valve on a private water main is installed primarily to:

• AIncrease system pressure downstream of the disc
• BIsolate a section of main for shutdown, repair, or testing
• CMeter domestic consumption
• DReplace the need for a backflow preventer at a cross-connection

When a potable water main must cross a sanitary sewer, widely used waterworks practice (Ten States Standards and similar) is to keep the water main:

• AAt least 18 inches below the sewer so a leak drains into the water main
• BCentered inside the sewer pipe as a carrier
• CAt least 18 inches above the sewer, with joints placed as far as practical from the cross…
• DIn the same bedding envelope with no vertical separation

For parallel potable water and sanitary sewer mains, widely used waterworks practice (Ten States Standards and similar) calls for a minimum horizontal separation, measured edge to edge, of:

• A12 inches regardless of elevation
• B10 feet
• C2 feet if both pipes are PVC
• DNo separation if both trenches are backfilled the same day

After a new potable water main passes hydrostatic testing, it is placed in service only after disinfection and satisfactory bacteriological sampling in accordance with which commonly specified standard?

• AASTM C76
• BIBC Table 1806.2
• CAWWA C651
• DOSHA 1926 Subpart P Appendix B

AWWA C900 is the standard commonly specified for which water-distribution product?

• AVitrified clay gravity sewer pipe
• BPVC pressure pipe and fabricated fittings for water distribution
• CCorrugated steel culverts only
• DCopper water-tube Type M for underground fire mains

Before a water main is hydrostatically tested, air must be expelled from high points because trapped air:

• AImproves the accuracy of the leakage measurement by adding volume
• BCan cause erratic pressure readings and is a safety hazard if the line is pressurized
• CDisinfects the main more effectively than chlorine
• DIs required by AWWA C600 as the test fluid

A water main runs from station 18+40 to station 22+10. How many linear feet of pipe are shown between those stations, before fittings or waste?

• A1,840 feet
• B40 feet
• C370 feet
• D2,210 feet