"COLUMBIA GAS TRANSMISSION, LLC"
gas_transmission Incident — — September 8, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 8, 2015 |
| Operator | "COLUMBIA GAS TRANSMISSION, LLC" |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 37.56111, -82.22610 |
Cause
| Cause | NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | "EARTH MOVEMENT, NOT DUE TO HEAVY RAINS/FLOODS" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $300,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $30,300 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2015, A COLUMBIA GAS TRANSMISSION, LLC (COLUMBIA) PIPELINE WAS INSPECTED BY COLUMBIA OPERATIONS PERSONNEL AND WAS FOUND TO HAVE A GRADE 1 LEAK IN A RURAL AREA NEAR THE CITY OF PIKEVILLE, PIKE COUNTY, KENTUCKY. LINE KA-WEST IS A 20 INCH IN DIAMETER TRANSMISSION PIPELINE THAT IS OPERATED AND MAINTAINED BY COLUMBIA. THE AREA WAS MADE SAFE BY ISOLATING THE AFFECTED SEGMENT UPON CLOSING THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM CRITICAL VALVES. A NEAR-BY COMPRESSOR STATION WAS UTILIZED TO HELP CONTROL THE FLOW OF NATURAL GAS THROUGH THE LEAK AREA. COLUMBIA OPERATIONS PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO THE SITE, MOBILIZED EQUIPMENT AND PREPARED THE AREA TO INITIATE A PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WITH PRE-TESTED JOINTS OF PIPE. THE LINE WAS REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO SERVICE ON SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2015. THE RESULTS OF THE METALLURGICAL FAILURE ANALYSIS REPORT AS PRESENTED BY THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS CONSULTANT INDICATED THE FOLLOWING: THE FAILURE OF THE PIPELINE SECTION WAS INITIATED AT AN OVERBEND CONTAINING A BUCKLE THAT WAS LIKELY THE RESULT OF DUCTILE OVERLOAD FROM BENDING STRESSES SUCH AS THOSE CAUSED BY LAND/SOIL MOVEMENT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-EXISTING DEFECTS OR IN-SERVICE GROWTH ON THE FRACTURE SURFACE."
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.