Site utility analysis: power, gas, water, sewer

One-line orientation

Site utility analysis checks whether each service — power, gas, water, sewer/stormwater — is available, has capacity, and is close enough to be feasible; the recurring theme (and exam cue) is urban municipal connection versus rural onsite systems.

Key points

• Electrical service: evaluate existing infrastructure — capacity, transformer/substation locations, and overhead vs underground delivery — to confirm it supports the building or needs upgrading.
• Gas: driven by building usage (heating, cooking). Urban → assess natural-gas line availability/capacity; rural → consider onsite propane storage.
• Water supply: municipal water where available, wells in rural areas; also assess quality and potential shortages (may need treatment/conservation).
• Wastewater: connect to municipal sewer, or in rural areas design an onsite septic system (requires a percolation test for feasibility).
• Stormwater: plan to prevent flooding/erosion using site-appropriate measures (retention ponds, permeable paving, green roofs) based on climate, topography, and existing infrastructure.
• Feasibility driver: capacity, availability, and distance to the connection point control cost — a missing, distant, or undersized service pushes you toward onsite alternatives.

Confusions / comparison

Utility	Urban / municipal	Rural / onsite
Power	Grid; overhead or underground service	Same grid, but longer/costlier extension
Gas	Natural-gas line (check capacity)	Onsite propane storage
Water	Municipal water	Well (+ quality/treatment)
Wastewater	Municipal sewer	Septic system (needs perc test)
Stormwater	Municipal storm system / detention	Onsite retention, infiltration, bioswales

Related

→ Septic & perc test (this module): the onsite wastewater path in detail · Excavation dewatering (this module): construction water vs site stormwater · Electrical distribution (Systems): service capacity and delivery downstream.