WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT CO
gas_distribution Incident — CLARKSBURG, MD — July 11, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | July 11, 2011 |
| Operator | WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | CLARKSBURG |
| State | MD |
| County | MONTGOMERY |
| Coordinates | 39.25522, -77.27496 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE BY OPERATOR'S CONTRACTOR (SECOND PARTY) |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $64,000 |
| Emergency Response | $23,500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON MONDAY, JULY 11, 2011, A WASHINGTON GAS CONTRACTOR, UTILITY LINE SERVICES, INC. (ULS), DAMAGED AN EIGHT-INCH, WRAPPED-STEEL, HIGH-PRESSURE MAIN LOCATED ON STRINGTOWN ROAD BETWEEN GATEWAY CENTER DRIVE AND I-270 IN CLARKSBURG, MARYLAND. ULS HAD SEVERAL LOCATE TICKETS FOR THE AREA. THESE TICKET NUMBERS WERE 11334752, 11348536, AND 11353091. ULS HAD BEEN WORKING IN THE AREA FOR SEVERAL MONTHS RELOCATING A SECTION OF MAIN AND WERE EXCAVATING TO ABANDON A PORTION OF MAIN WHEN THE DAMAGE OCCURRED. ULS HAD THE LINES IN QUESTION EXPOSED VIA VACUUM EXCAVATION ON JUNE 23, 2011, AND LATER BACKFILLED THE EXCAVATION. THE DEPTH OF THE DAMAGED LINE WAS 20 FEET. DURING THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING A SLIDE RAIL SHORING SYSTEM ON JULY 11, 2011, ULS WAS USING A TRACKHOE TO DRIVE DOWN A CORNER POST FOR THIS SHORING SYSTEM WHEN THE DAMAGE OCCURRED. I-270 AND STRINGTOWN ROAD WERE CLOSED FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 HOURS AS A RESULT OF THIS DAMAGE. AS OF THE TIME OF THIS REPORT, ULS IS STILL WORKING TO ABANDON THE SECTION OF MAIN. ONCE THIS SECTION HAS BEEN ABANDONED AND GAS IS RESTORED, A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE FILED."
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.