EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO

Incident Narrative

ON JUNE 3RD AT 1:40 PM, EL PASO NATURAL GAS COMPANY, L.L.C. (EPNG) GAS CONTROL WAS NOTIFIED BY A FARMER THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS LEAK IN AN AGRICULTURAL FIELD. AN OPERATOR WAS SENT TO THE SITE AND ARRIVED AT 3:31 PM TO CONFIRM THE LEAK. AN ERL (EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE) CONFERENCE CALL WAS HELD AT 4:20 PM. AT THAT TIME THE GAS LOSS QUANTITY AND POTENTIAL DAMAGES WERE UNKNOWN, BUT OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION A NOTIFICATION TO THE NRC WAS MADE. THE NRC WAS CALLED AT 4:25 PM. THE CALLER WAS PUT ON HOLD, AND THE NRC REPORT WAS TAKEN AT 4:39 PM. AS THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED, EPNG DEEMED THE INCIDENT TO BE SIGNIFICANT PER INTERNAL PROCESSES. IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE CUSTOMER IMPACT, EPNG COMMUNICATED THE SITUATION WITH ITS CUSTOMERS ON THE LINE 1102 VALVE SEGMENT PRIOR TO THE VALVE SEGMENT BEING SHUT-IN AT 6:01 PM. AFTER THE PIPE WAS BLOWN DOWN, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE GUARD RAILS WERE DAMAGED AND THE 1"" RISER HAD BEEN BROKEN OFF AT THE THREADED CONNECTION TO THE ELBOW BELOW GRADE BY A FARMER OPERATING A TRACTOR ON THE PROPERTY NOT PERFORMING ANY EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES. TO REPAIR THE TAP EPNG CLOSED THE TAP VALVE, AND PLUGGED AND COATED THE PIPE. ON JUNE 4TH, 2020 AT 1:00 AM THE VALVE SEGMENT ON LINE 1102 WAS BROUGHT BACK INTO SERVICE.