PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO

Incident Narrative

ON FEBRUARY 28, 2015 AT 1133 HOURS PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC'S (PG&E) GAS CONTROL ROOM RECEIVED A LOW PRESSURE ALARM ON DISTRIBUTION FEEDER MAIN (DFM) 1815-15 (A TRANSMISSION PIPELINE) AND IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE LOCAL SUPERVISOR TO VERIFY THE LOW PRESSURE READINGS IN THE FIELD. WHILE LOCAL FIELD PERSONNEL WAS EN ROUTE, AT 1145 HOURS, PG&E DISPATCH RECEIVED A REPORT OF THIRD PARTY DAMAGE TO PG&E'S PIPELINE NEAR 610 VIEJO RD IN CARMEL THAT RESULTED IN AN UNINTENTIONAL RELEASE OF GAS. A HOMEOWNER HIRED A DAY LABORER TO GRADE HIS PROPERTY FOR A NEW ROADWAY, AND THE DAY LABORER STRUCK THE 10-INCH STEEL TRANSMISSION LINE WITH A RIPPER TOOTH PULLED BY A BULLDOZER. THE HOMEOWNER AND THE LABORER DID NOT CALL USA. PG&E'S GAS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WAS ON SITE AT 1201 HOURS. CREWS WERE ON SITE AT APPROXIMATELY 1215 HOURS. FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE, AND LOCAL MEDIA WERE OBSERVED ON SCENE. HIGHWAY 1 WAS TEMPORARILY CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EVACUATED 6 HOMES OUT OF PRECAUTION. PG&E STOPPED THE FLOW OF GAS AT 1510 HOURS BY CLOSING FOUR MAINLINE VALVES TO ISOLATE THE IMPACTED PIPELINE SECTION. A DISTRIBUTION BACK-TIE AROUND THE DAMAGED DFM SECTION WAS ABLE TO SUPPLY GAS TO THE AFFECTED AREA. COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS WAS USED TO SUPPLEMENT GAS SUPPLY; HOWEVER PG&E HAD TO CURTAIL FOUR NON-CORE CUSTOMERS.. THE FOUR IMPACTED CUSTOMERS WERE ABLE TO HAVE GAS SERVICE RESTORED BY 1000 HOURS ON MARCH 1, 2015. ON MARCH 5, 2015, A VISUAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT WAS COMPLETED ON DFM 1815-15 AND NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON THE PIPE, SO DFM 1815-15 WAS RESTORED TO NORMAL OPERATING PRESSURE. THIS INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE DOT AND THE CPUC DUE TO DAMAGES EXCEEDING $50,000.