SOUTHERN STAR CENTRAL GAS PIPELINE, INC

Incident Narrative

ON JUNE 10 AT 8:39 PM SOUTHERN STAR RECEIVED A CALL FROM PUBLIC STATING THERE WAS A PLASTIC (DETERMINED TO BE STEEL) LINE IN WALNUT CREEK THAT WAS BUBBLING AND PROBABLY CAUSED BY DEBRIS IN THE CREEK. AT 8:30 PM SSC OPERATIONS WERE NOTIFIED TO REPORT TO THE LOCATION OF THE POSSIBLE LEAK. AFTER OPERATIONS NOTIFICATION SSC GAS CONTROL ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE (PSAP) BETWEEN THE TIMES OF 8:40-9:49. CONTACT WITH PSAP WAS MADE AT 9:49 PM. SSC OPERATIONS ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 10:31 PM AND AT 11:15 THE LINE WAS DETERMINED TO BE SOUTHERN STAR'S. IT WAS DECIDED TO HAVE OPERATIONS PERSONNEL STAY ON SITE TO MONITOR THE SCENE AND WAIT UNTIL MORNING TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER BECAUSE OF WATER OVER THE PIPELINE AND WET, DARK CONDITIONS. BY 9:15 AM ON JUNE 11 THE LEAK HAD BEEN INVESTIGATED AND DETERMINED THERE WAS A KINK IN THE LINE AND A CRACK APPROXIMATELY 1"" LONG. THE KINK IN THE LINE WOULD NOT ALLOW A LEAK CLAMP TO BE INSTALLED. THE WORK SCHEDULED WAS TO FEED THE TOWN BORDERS WEST OF HAMLIN MLG WITH TANK TRUCKS AND ISOLATE THE SEGMENT FROM THE TAP TO THE HAMLIN MLG TO LOWER THE PRESSURE AND REMOVED THE DEBRIS FROM THE PIPELINE AND MAKE A REPLACEMENT OF THE LEAK SECTION OF PIPE. THE LINE WAS ISOLATED AT 7:30 AM ON JUNE 14. UNTIL THAT TIME THE SEGMENT WAS MONITORED 24/7 BY OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TO MAKE SURE THE LEAK DID NOT GET WORSE. THE REPLACEMENT SECTION WAS COMPLETE AND THE LINE WAS BACK IN SERVICE ON JUNE 16 AT 12:36 PM.