AVISTA CORP
gas_distribution Incident — SANDPOINT, ID — January 11, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | January 11, 2015 |
| Operator | AVISTA CORP |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | SANDPOINT |
| State | ID |
| County | BONNER |
| Coordinates | 48.27191, -116.55656 |
Cause
| Cause | NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | TEMPERATURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $100 |
| Emergency Response | $500 |
| Other Costs | $2,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AN AVISTA FIRST RESPONDER WAS CALLED TO A STRUCTURE FIRE. WHEN HE ARRIVED HE NOTICED THAT THE RESIDENTIAL REGULATOR AND METER SET WERE COVERED IN ICE. HE COULD HEAR WHAT SOUNDED LIKE HIGH GAS FLOW THROUGH THE METER SET. HE TURNED OFF THE VALVE ON THE SERVICE RISER. AFTER THE STRUCTURE WAS SAFE TO ENTER, THE GAS SERVICE WAS BRIEFLY TURNED BACK ON SO A PRESSURE MEASUREMENT COULD BE TAKEN ON THE CUSTOMER'S DOWNSTREAM SYSTEM. THE GAS PRESSURE WAS MEASURED AT 12.9 PSIG ON THE SYSTEM THAT WOULD TYPICALLY OPERATE AT 0.25 PSIG. THIS HIGHER PRESSURE WAS DUE TO ICE ENTERING THE SERVICE REGULATOR VENT AND CAUSING IT TO MALFUNCTION."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.