DTE GAS COMPANY
gas_distribution Incident — DETROIT, MI — October 17, 2023
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 17, 2023 |
| Operator | DTE GAS COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | DETROIT |
| State | MI |
| County | WAYNE |
| Coordinates | 42.37187, -83.06558 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE BY OPERATOR'S CONTRACTOR (SECOND PARTY) |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $53,500 |
| Emergency Response | $67,600 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"2ND PARTY CONTRACTOR IMPACTED AN OBJECT WHILE BORING FOR NEW GAS MAIN AT 12:45 ON 10/17/23. THIS OBJECT IN-TURN IMPACTED A REDUCING FITTING ON A 12"" 10 PSI CAST-IRON MAIN THAT WAS ADJACENT TO THE BORE PATH, CAUSING A CRACK AND A LEAK. THE REDUCING FITTING WAS ON AN UNMAPPED STUB FROM ACTIVITY DONE IN YEAR 1950. GAS WAS SHUT OFF AT 02:28 ON 10/18/23. REPAIR ACTIVITIES WERE INITIALLY NOT EXPECTED TO EXCEED $10K TOTAL COST, NOR ANY OTHER REPORTING THRESHOLD, SO MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION WAS NOT INITIALLY NOTIFIED. OPERATIONS UPDATED AT 07:33 THE FOLLOWING MORNING THAT A DECISION HAD BEEN MADE TO REPLACE 25' OF THE MAIN RATHER THAN PERFORM THE INITIALLY INTENDED REPAIR, IN ORDER TO AVOID CUSTOMER OUTAGES. THIS CHANGE CAUSED THE REPAIR COST TO EXCEED THE $10K THRESHOLD AND THE MPSC INCIDENT REPORTING LINE WAS NOTIFIED AT 08:19 ON 10/18/23. AFTER REPAIR, GAS LOSS WAS CALCULATED AND ESTIMATED AT 4872MCF, WHICH CAUSED THIS INCIDENT TO BE PHMSA REPORTABLE. ALSO NOTIFIED CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD (CSB)."
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.