SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CO
gas_transmission Incident — — November 21, 2013
Incident Information
| Incident Date | November 21, 2013 |
| Operator | SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 33.40714, -88.62326 |
Cause
| Cause | MATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD |
| Subcause | ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING-RELATED (NOT GIRTH WELD OR OTHER WELDS FORMED IN THE FIELD) |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $40,000 |
| Emergency Response | $2,500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT 3:40AM SNG GAS CONTROL RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF SMELL OF GAS (LATER DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY PREVIOUS ATMOS ODORANT MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES) AND A LOUD NOISE FROM THE LOWNDES COUNTY 911. LOWNDES COUNTY EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WERE ONSITE AND BELIEVED THE NOISE AND SMELL ORIGINATED FROM THE SNG PIPELINE. SNG PERSONNEL WERE DEPLOYED TO THE LOCATION, AN UNCULTIVATED AREA, WHERE THEY SECURED THE AREA AND ISOLATED THE PIPELINE. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TEMPORARILY EVACUATED APPROXIMATELY 200 RESIDENTS TO THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL. AT 5:12AM SNG PERSONNEL NOTIFIED THE LOWNDES COUNTY 911 PERSONNEL THAT THE EVACUATED PEOPLE COULD RETURN HOME. EVACUATION WAS NOT NECESSARY SINCE THE ESCAPING GAS VENTED DIRECTLY TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE 8-INCH WEST POINT LINE SEGMENT WILL REMAIN ISOLATED, WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO SERVICE AND WILL BE ABANDONED PENDING FERC APPROVAL."
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.