NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC SERVICE CO

Incident Narrative

CONTRACTOR WAS DOING BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION WORK ON SR 43 APPROXIMATELY 2.25 MILES NORTH OF CHALMERS, INDIANA AT BIG CREEK. THE EXCAVATOR OPERATOR WAS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE A WOODEN PLATFORM IN THE BOTTOM OF A CREEK BED WHEN THE BUCKET SLIPPED PUNCTURING THE GAS PIPELINE. THE PIPELINE PUNCTURE CAUSED GAS TO BLOW OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS APPROXIMATELY 50 EAST OF THE PIPELINE, RUNNING PARALLEL TO SR 43. THE TRAIN AND AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC WAS HALTED UNTIL THE GAS LEAK WAS STOPPED. THERE WAS NO INTERUPTION OF SERVICE TO ANY CUSTOMERS. A BY-PASS WAS CONSTRUCTED AROUND THE AREA WITH A TEMPERARY REGULATOR STATION. THE ORIGINAL GAS LOSS CALCUATION WAS ACCURATE. THE LINE WAS ALREADY SHUT DOWN AT THE TIME THE CALCULATION WAS COMPLETED. NO CALL WAS MADE AFTER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT CSX HAD ALREADY NOTIFIED THE NRC. THIS IS A CLASS 1 AREA, SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT MAP, RURAL AREA. THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL COSTS AVAILABLE FROM CSX. THERE WAS AN AMTRAC TRAIN DELAYED FOR SEVERAL HOURS, WHILE THE GAS WAS SHUT DOWN, BUT IT WAS NOT RE-ROUTED TO OUR KNOWLEDGE.