COLUMBIA GAS TRANSMISSION, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON OCTOBER 7TH, 2015, THE MONITORING CENTER CALLED TO DISPATCH A COLUMBIA GAS TRANSMISSION, LLC (COLUMBIA) PIPELINE MECHANIC TO INVESTIGATE A REPORTED NATURAL GAS (MATERIAL) LEAK ON A COLUMBIA PIPELINE. THE PIPELINE IDENTIFIED AS LINE D-533, IS A TRANSMISSION LINE, 3-IN IN DIAMETER LOCATED IN WOOD COUNTY, OHIO, NEAR THE VILLAGE OF RISING SUN. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE REPORTED RELEASE WAS FOUND TO BE FROM A DAMAGED 2-IN PIPELINE APPARENTLY BY A THIRD PARTY (LANDOWNER) WHILE FARMING HIS LAND. THIS DAMAGE TO LINE D-533 CAUSED THE LOSS OF 270 CUSTOMERS THAT ARE SERVICED BY THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION COMPANY (LDC) DOWNSTREAM OF THE FAILURE POINT. ALL EFFORTS WERE MADE BY COLUMBIA AND THE LDC PERSONNEL TO MAINTAIN MATERIAL FLOW TO THE LINE IN A SHORT TIMEFRAME. AFTER PERFORMING THE NECESSARY ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT TO THE DAMAGED LINE, A PRE-TESTED PIPE WAS INSTALLED AND THE SERVICE TO LINE D-533 WAS RE-ESTABLISHED IN A SHORT TIMEFRAME. EVEN THOUGH THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MATERIAL VENTED INTO ATMOSPHERE WAS LESS THAN 3,000 MCF (883.0 MCF) WITH THE TOTAL COST OF LABOR PLUS MATERIAL REACHING A TOTAL VALUE LESS THAN $50,000, COLUMBIA ELECTED TO REPORT THIS EVENT AS AN INCIDENT DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF LDC CUSTOMERS THAT LOST THEIR SERVICE FOR A BRIEF AMOUNT OF TIME. THE LINE WAS REPAIRED AND SERVICE WAS RESUMED TO THE AFFECTED LDC CUSTOMERS. COLUMBIA REACHED OUT TO THE FARMER (BEING PART OF THE PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAM) ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FARMING ON OR NEAR AN ACTIVE TRANSMISSION LINE AND TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHILE FARMING/HARVESTING CROP WITHIN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY IDENTIFYING THE INSTALLED LINE MARKERS. THIS STEP WILL HELP AVOID SIMILAR DAMAGE FROM RE-OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE TO THE SAME PIPELINE AND OTHER PIPELINES.