MONTANA - DAKOTA UTILITIES CO

gas_distribution Incident — BILLINGS, MT

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorMONTANA - DAKOTA UTILITIES CO
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_distribution

Location

CityBILLINGS
StateMT
CountyYELLOWSTONE
Coordinates45.80115, -108.55145

Cause

CauseNATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

HIGH RAINFALL TOTALS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE LED TO UNSTABLE GROUND SHIFTING/MOVEMENT IN THE POOR ROCKY SOIL CONDITIONS ALONG THE RIMS AREA IN BILLINGS. THE STEEL SERVICE LINE FAILED IN SERVICE RESULTING IN A MAJOR LEAK IN THE LINE. HIGH PRESSURES GENERATED FROM THE MOVEMENT OF THE ROCKS AND SOIL IN THE GROUND BROKE THE SERVICE LINE AT A FIELD BEND LOCATED CLOSE TO THE HOUSE. ANALYSIS OF THE SERVICE LINE ITSELF SHOWS A LARGE SUDDEN CATASHROPHIC BREAK IN THE LINE.

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.

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