NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS CO
gas_distribution Incident — WALL, NJ — March 26, 2021
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 26, 2021 |
| Operator | NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | WALL |
| State | NJ |
| County | MONMOUTH |
| Coordinates | 40.15650, -74.09928 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | ELECTRICAL ARCING FROM OTHER EQUIPMENT OR FACILITY |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $217,000 |
| Emergency Response | $16,283 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021, UPON BEING REENERGIZED, OVERHEAD HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRIC WIRES ARCHED AND FELL TO THE GROUND ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE OF STATE ROUTE 34 IN WALL TOWNSHIP. THE WIRES MADE CONTACT WITH AN NJNG CASING VENT PIPE CAUSING ARCING BETWEEN A 20"" BARE STEEL CASING WITH THE 12"" COATED STEEL CARRIER PIPE. THE RESULTING ARC BURNT THROUGH THE STEEL AND CAUSED TWO ""PIN HOLES"" IN THE 250# STEEL CARRIER PIPELINE. ABOVE GROUND ARCING ALSO CAUSED THE BUSHES AROUND THE FACILITY TO CATCH FIRE. INITIALLY, NJNG RESPONDED TO THE LOCATION BASED ON A CALL FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT, ROUTE 34 WAS CLOSED FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 DAYS WHILE NJNG AND ITS CONTRACTORS FOUND THE LEAKS AND CUT OUT AND REPLACED THE DAMAGED PORTIONS OF THE GAS MAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, APPROXIMATELY 41' OF 12"" STEEL MAIN AND CASING WAS REPLACED WITH UNCASED 12"" MILL WRAP (PRITEC) COATED PRETESTED STEEL PIPE."
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.