CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 09:23 HOURS CONSUMERS ENERGY WAS NOTIFIED OF AN ODOR OF GAS AT OR NEAR 528 HIGH STREET, (INGHAM COUNTY) WILLIAMSTON, MICHIGAN A GAS SERVICE WORKER (GSW) WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 09:37 HOURS AND BEGAN PERFORMING A LEAK INVESTIGATION. GAS READS (60% APPROXIMATELY 15-FEET FROM THE BUILDING )WERE DISCOVERED NEAR 518 HIGH STREET, REQUIRING AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THE DISTRIBUTION CREW WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT APPROXIMATELY 10:43 HOURS. THE PIPELINE SERVING 518 HIGH STREET WAS REPLACED TO ELIMINATE THE LEAK FOUND AT THE SERVICE CONNECTION. PERSONNEL ONSITE CONTINUED TO FIND READS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED AND CONTINUE THEIR INVESTIGATION. WHILE DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYEES WERE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING THE LEAK, GSW'S WERE MONITORING THE NEARBY HOMES AND SEWERS. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, GAS READS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE SEWER. GAS SERVICE EMPLOYEES REMAIN ONSITE AND CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED THE HOMES, SEWERS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. ON FEBRUARY 19, 2021, AN ADDITIONAL LEAK WAS DISCOVERED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET FROM THE SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT AT 518 HIGH STREET. THE LEAK WAS LOCATED ON THE 2-INCH STEEL MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE. THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO BE A CORROSION AND WAS LOCATED AT THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION. A PLIDCO FITTING WAS INSTALLED AS A TEMPORARY REPAIR. FOLLOWING REPAIRS OF ALL IDENTIFIED LEAKS, THE NATURAL GAS ODOR REMAINED PERCEPTIBLE, AND READINGS WERE PRESENT NEAR THE REPAIR LOCATION. THE VAPOR EXTRACTION UNIT (VEU) WAS USED TO EXTRACTED NATURAL GAS SATURATED SOIL AND PERSONNEL REMAINED ONSITE AND CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED UNTIL GAS READS MET CLASSIFIABLE CRITERIA. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PERSONNEL CONTINUED TO EXTRACT GAS FROM THE SOIL AND INVESTIGATE FOR ADDITIONAL LEAKS. SEVERAL ADDITIONAL LEAKS AT THE SERVICE CONNECTIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AT 515 HIGH STREET, 528 HIGH STREET AND 529 HIGH STREET. BASED ON THE AGE AND CONDITION OF THE PIPELINE, OPERATIONS CONSULTED WITH ENGINEERING AND A DECISION WAS MADE TO REPLACE THE 1928 VINTAGE STEEL PIPELINE AND SERVICES. A PIPELINE REPLACEMENT PROJECT BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 4. APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET OF 2-INCH PLASTIC, MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE WAS DIRECTIONAL DRILLED, AND 9 SERVICE RENEWALS COMPLETED.