DTE GAS COMPANY
gas_distribution Incident — DETROIT, MI — September 13, 2021
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 13, 2021 |
| Operator | DTE GAS COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | DETROIT |
| State | MI |
| County | WAYNE |
| Coordinates | 42.29247, -83.14256 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000 |
| Emergency Response | $1,000,000 |
| Other Costs | $1,000,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"9/12/21 GROUND HEAVE 10015 WEST FORT & DEARBORN STREET: GROUND HEAVE IMPACTED THE FOLLOWING UTILITIES: GREAT LAKES WATER AUTHORITY (GLWA), ATT, COMCAST, DTE ELECTRIC, AND DTE GAS (6-INCH CI 2 PSI, 16-INCH CI 10PSI, 24-INCH STEEL 145PSI). THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING WITH A UNIFORMED ICS (CITY OF DETROIT, MDOT, GLWA, DTE GAS) AND NO CAUSE HAS BEEN DETERMINED YET. A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE FILED WITH MORE DETAILS AND FOLLOW-UP OF THIS EVENT. 1/24/2022 UPDATE ON THE INCIDENT CAUSE: ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2021, SIGNIFICANT, UNEXPECTED GROUND MOVEMENT RESULTED IN TWO MAJOR HEAVE AREAS AND DAMAGE TO EXISTING BUILDINGS, PAVEMENT, AND UTILITY STRUCTURES INCLUDING DTE GAS INFRASTRUCTURE AT/NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF FORT STREET AND DEARBORN STREET IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN. INVESTIGATIONS THUS FAR CONFIRM THE GROUND FAILURE OCCURRED DUE TO A RELATIVELY RAPID LOADING OF A LAYER OF SOFT CLAYS BETWEEN 25 AND 40 FT BELOW THE GROUND SURFACE. DTE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE RELATIVELY RAPID LOADING WAS CAUSED BY THE INCREASE IN HEIGHT AND WEIGHT OF A MILL SCALE STOCKPILE AT THE FORT IRON AND METAL FACILITY. THE GROUND FAILURE OCCURRED CONCENTRICALLY AROUND THE LARGE STOCKPILE OF MATERIAL LOCATED AT THE PROPERTY, A METAL SCRAP YARD OWNED AND OPERATED BY FORT IRON & METAL COMPANY. ON INFORMATION AND BELIEF, THE MILL SCALE MATERIAL WAS STOCKPILED TO SOME DEGREE AT THIS LOCATION BY FORT SINCE AT LEAST MAY 2019."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.