EASTERN GAS TRANSMISSION AND STORAGE, INC.

Incident Narrative

GAS CONTROL RECEIVED INITIAL NOTIFICATION OF THIS INCIDENT ON 8/18/21 AT 21:37 FROM A HOMEOWNER WHO REPORTED THAT A RELEASE OF GAS WAS AUDIBLE IN THE AREA NEAR A DRIP (WD00695D1) INSTALLED ON LN-695 BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 129 AND TUSCARORA CREEK IN WOODHULL, NEW YORK. LN-695 IS A TRANSMISSION PIPELINE IN A STORAGE FUNCTION AND HAS A MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE OPERATING PRESSURE OF 2160 PSIG. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE OPERATING PRESSURE ON LN-695 WAS 1734 PSIG AND LN-695 WAS NOT FLOWING GAS. PROTECTION FOR THE ABOVEGROUND PORTIONS OF WD00695D1 FROM OUTSIDE FORCES WAS PROVIDED BY THREE CONCRETE JERSEY BARRIERS THAT WERE INSTALLED WHEN WD00695D1 WAS INSTALLED IN 2015. THE RESPONSE TO THIS INCIDENT WAS COMPLICATED BY THE PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, STEUBEN COUNTY WHICH CONTAINS WOODHULL, WAS EXPERIENCING SEVERE FLASH FLOODING SPECIFICALLY IN AREAS NEAR TUSCARORA CREEK AND A STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED FOR STEUBEN COUNTY BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK ON 8/18/21. GAS CONTROL CONTACTED OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ON 8/18/21 AT 21:40 AND COMMUNICATED THE INFORMATION THAT WAS RECEIVED FROM THE HOMEOWNER. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT DISPATCHED OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TO THE SITE TO INVESTIGATE ON 8/18/21 AT 21:45. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE SITE ON 8/18/21 AT APPROXIMATELY 22:15 AND OBSERVED THAT THE RELEASE OF GAS WAS COMING FROM WD00695D1. AT THIS TIME, IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE RELEASE OF GAS WAS COMING FROM THE DRIP STINGER ON WD00695D1. IT WAS LATER CONFIRMED THAT THE RELEASE OF GAS WAS COMING FROM A 1 INCH NIPPLE THAT HAD BEEN DETACHED FROM THE DRIP BLOWOFF ON WD00695D1 BY FLOATING DEBRIS THAT WAS ADRIFT AS A RESULT OF THE FLOODING OF TUSCARORA CREEK. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL CONTACTED OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATED THE SITUATION. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL BEGAN ISOLATING THE SECTION OF LN-695 CONTAINING WD00695D1 BY CLOSING MANUAL VALVES ON LN-695 UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF WD00695D1 AND CLOSING MANUAL VALVES AT THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LN-695 AND OTHER TRANSMISSION PIPELINES IN STORAGE FUNCTIONS. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL COMPLETED ISOLATING THE SECTION OF LN-695 CONTAINING WD00695D1 ON 8/19/21 AT APPROXIMATELY 00:00. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL CONTACTED OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATED THE SITUATION. IT WAS DETERMINED ON 8/19/21 AT 00:32 THAT THE INCIDENT LIKELY INVOLVED AN UNINTENTIONAL ESTIMATED GAS LOSS OF THREE MILLION CUBIC FEET OR MORE WHICH WOULD CLASSIFY IT AS REPORTABLE INCIDENT. INITIAL TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER ON 8/19/21 AT 00:34. THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER ASSIGNED INCIDENT REPORT 1314115 TO THE INITIAL NOTIFICATION OF THE INCIDENT. A FOLLOW UP TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER ON 8/19/21 AT 17:13 TO CONFIRM THE INITIAL TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION, UPDATE THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT, AND UPDATE THE VOLUME OF UNINTENTIONAL ESTIMATED GAS LOSS. THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER ASSIGNED INCIDENT REPORT #131491 TO THE FOLLOW UP TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION. THE FOLLOWING REMEDIAL ACTIONS WERE COMPLETED: THE UNDERGROUND PORTION OF WD00695D1 WAS EXCAVATED, INSPECTED FOR ADDITIONAL DAMAGE, AND A SHORT SECTION OF PIPE THAT HAD BEEN BENT BY THE FLOATING DEBRIS WAS CUT OUT AND REPLACED; A REPLACEMENT 1 INCH NIPPLE WAS INSTALLED ON THE DRIP BLOWOFF ON WD00695D1; UPGRADED BARRIERS WERE INSTALLED TO PROVIDE ENHANCED PROTECTION FOR THE ABOVEGROUND PORTIONS OF WD00695D1 FROM OUTSIDE FORCES. FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE REMEDIAL ACTIONS, THE SECTION OF LN-695 CONTAINING WD00695D1 WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE ON 9/15/21 AT 11:00 BY OPENING THE MANUAL VALVES ON LN-695 UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF WD00695D1 AND OPENING THE MANUAL VALVES AT THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LN-695 AND OTHER TRANSMISSION PIPELINES IN STORAGE FUNCTIONS.