COLONIAL GAS CO - LOWELL DIV
gas_distribution Incident — WESTFORD, MA — January 15, 2014
Incident Information
| Incident Date | January 15, 2014 |
| Operator | COLONIAL GAS CO - LOWELL DIV |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | WESTFORD |
| State | MA |
| County | MIDDLESEX |
| Coordinates | 42.48430, -71.27680 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER INCIDENT CAUSE |
| Subcause | MISCELLANEOUS |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $10,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"THE WESTFORD LNG TANK IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING DECOMMISSIONED. INVENTORY WAS REMOVED ON DECEMBER 12TH 2013 BUT A SMALL AMOUNT OF LNG REMAINED. ON JANUARY 15TH 2014, PLANT PERSONNEL STARTED THE PLANT VAPORIZATION SYSTEM FOR A BRIEF PERIOD WITH THE INTENT OF SENDING THE RESIDUAL AMOUNT INTO THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. THE HEATING VALUE OF THE VAPOR WAS HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED AND CAUSED LARGER THAN NORMAL FLAMES FOR CUSTOMER APPLIANCES IN THE AREA NEAR THE PLANT AND GENERATED A NUMBER OF CALLS TO THE COMPANY CALL CENTER. THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES WAS NOTIFIED."
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.