Underground access conduit

A valve cover for enclosing an underground volume surrounding an actuating mechanism of a flow control valve, comprising:

• a valve cover body sized to enclose the underground volume, the underground volume being large enough to accommodate insertion of a valve tool therein for purposes of engaging and operating the actuating mechanism;
• an at least partially elastomeric seating structure extending inward from the valve cover body, the seating structure being configured to contact the flow control valve and resiliently deform in response to placing the valve cover body in a desired position in which the underground volume is enclosed by the valve cover body, to thereby seat the valve cover body and maintain the valve cover body in the desired position.

An enclosure for facilitating operation of an underground valve, comprising:

• an at least partially hollow valve cover having an interior wall and open top and bottom ends, the valve cover being configured to be positioned over an actuating mechanism used to selectively control flow through the underground valve;
• and
• a centering device having a central valve-engaging portion configured to engage the actuating mechanism of the valve so that the centering device extends between the actuating mechanism and the interior wall of the valve cover to maintain the interior wall in a spaced relationship to the actuating mechanism, and so that the interior wall encloses a volume surrounding the actuating mechanism that is large enough to permit a valve tool to be inserted therein and operatively engaged with the actuating mechanism.