SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CO

Incident Narrative

A TRUCK DRIVER STOPPED OFF OF HIGHWAY 61 AND NOTICED BUBBLING WATER IN DEER CREEK. THE TRUCK DRIVER CALLED MS811, WHO THEN NOTIFIED SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CONTROL AT APPROXIMATELY 15:30. KMI OPERATIONS ARRIVED ON SITE AND CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE BUBBLES IN DEER CREEK, THIS CREEK LIES SOUTH OF THE ONWARD COMPRESSOR STATION NEAR MILE POST 1. AT 16:00, A KMI LINE PATROLLER USED A LASER METHANE LEAK DETECTOR AND CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF METHANE GAS. AT 17:30, KMI OPERATIONS BEGAN TO BLOW DOWN THE FIRST 2.3 MILES OF THE ONWARD VICKSBURG LINE TO BELOW 100 PSI; BUBBLES WERE NO LONGER VISIBLE IN THE CREEK AND METHANE WAS NOT DETECTED THEREAFTER. THROUGH ITS INVESTIGATION, SNG HAS CONCLUDED THAT THIS 2.3 MILE SEGMENT OF PIPE WILL BE ABANDONED WITHOUT AFFECTING THE CAPACITY OR OPERATION OF THE REST OF THE SNG SYSTEM. THIS 2.3 MILE SEGMENT OF PIPE IS ONE OF THREE PARALLEL PIPES ACROSS THIS 2.3 MILE AREA, AND THE REMAINING TWO PIPES HAVE SUFFICIENT CAPACITY TO MAKE-UP FOR THE LOSS OF THIS ONE 2.3 MILE SEGMENT OF PIPE. THEREFORE, SNG DOES NOT PLAN TO EXCAVATE THE LEAKING PIPE TO FURTHER ASSESS IT OR REPAIR IT. SNG WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THIS SEGMENT OF PIPE TO BELOW 100 PSI UNTIL CONDITIONS ALLOW FOR IT TO BE ABANDONED WITH MINIMAL IMPACTS.