SOUTHWEST GAS CORP

Incident Narrative

ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011, A HOMEOWNER IN TRUCKEE, CA CONTACTED SOUTHWEST GAS CORPORATION DUE TO NO PRESSURE AT HIS HEATER AND A NATURAL GAS ODOR OUTSIDE. SOUTHWEST GAS PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO THE SITE AND DISCOVERED 97% GAS OVER THE SERVICE LINE. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM THE CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT AND ASKED THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BE NOTIFIED. TEN HOMES WERE INITIALLY EVACUATED WITH THE HELP OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A LEAK WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE SERVICE TAP TEE. THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS A CONSTRUCTION DEFECT. THE RESIDENCES FOR SIX OF THE HOMES WERE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THEIR RESIDENCES THAT EVENING ONCE THE HAZARD WAS ELIMINATED AND GAS READS AT THE BASE OF THE STRUCTURES WERE NON-HAZARDOUS. DUE TO RESIDUAL GAS READS AT THE FOUNDATION OF THE STRUCTURES OF THE REMAINING FOUR HOMES, THEIR EVACUATION LASTED FOR 12 DAYS UNTIL, MARCH 14, 2011. THE CUSTOMERS WERE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THEIR RESIDENCES ONCE THE HAZARD WAS ELIMINATED AND GAS READS AT THE BASE OF THE STRUCTURES WERE NON-HAZARDOUS. AERATION OF RESIDUAL GAS AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURES CONTINUED UNTIL MARCH 25, 2011 WHEN GAS READS WERE ELIMINATED. ON THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2011, SOUTHWEST GAS BECAME AWARE OF LOCAL MEDIA ATTENTION DUE TO THE EXTENDED EVACUATION AND NOTIFIED THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (CPUC) BASED ON THEIR REPORTING STANDARDS. ON MARCH 23, 2011, IT WAS DETERMINED BY SOUTHWEST GAS THAT THE EXTENDED AERATION AND CUSTOMER REIMBURSEMENT COSTS WOULD ACCUMULATE ABOVE THE $50,000 REPORTABLE THRESHOLD. THE INCIDENT WAS THEN REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER.