EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO

Incident Narrative

ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 KINDER MORGAN (KM) OPERATIONS PERSONNEL RECEIVED A CALL OF A POSSIBLE LINE STRIKE ON EPNG 2125 LINE FROM ATMOS. THE LINE 2125 IS LOCATED NEAR FARWELL, TEXAS IN PARMER COUNTY, TEXAS. KM OPERATIONS SPECIALIST AT STATION 169 (HEREFORD) RECEIVED A CALL (2:30 PM-LOCAL TIME) FROM AN ATMOS EMPLOYEE STATING THAT HE THOUGHT OUR EPNG LINE HAD BEEN STRUCK. KM OPS DISPATCHED THREE (3) OPERATION SPECIALISTS TO THE ALLEGED LINE STRIKE SITE TO VERIFY THE LINE STRIKE. THERE WERE VISIBLE SIGNS AROUND THE VICINITY. THE KM SPECIALIST, WHO ARRIVED ON SITE, CONFIRMED THAT THE 8"" EPNG 2125 LINE HAD BEEN STRUCK AND WAS VENTING GAS. HIS TIME OF ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE WAS 3:30 PM LOCAL TIME. KM DISCOVERED THAT THE PIPELINE HAD GOUGE IN IT AND LEARNED THAT A COUNTY ROAD MAINTAINER WAS DIGGING A BAR DITCH FOR THE LOCAL FARMER AND ACCIDENTALLY STRUCK THE LINE. MAINLINE VALVES 6 AND 7 WERE CLOSED TO ISOLATE THE LINE AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED REPAIRS AND ALL REPAIR WORK CONCLUDED ON 9/10/15 AT 8:50 PM. THE CONTROL ROOM FOR EPNG RECEIVED AN ALARM ON THE EPNG SCADA SYSTEM AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED WORKING WITH OUR FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNICIAN TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ALARM. GIVEN THE REMOTE LOCATION OF THE SITE, IT TOOK OUR FIELD KM PERSONNEL SOME TIME TO ARRIVE ON SITE AND CONFIRM THAT OUR EPNG LINE WAS STRUCK AND RELEASING GAS. UPON CONFIRMATION OF THE LINE STRIKE AND RELEASE OF GAS, KM PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY STARTED ISOLATING THE LINE SEGMENT AFFECTED BY A 3RD PARTY LINE STRIKE.