WILLISTON BASIN INTERSTATE PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 12/10/2010 A CONTRACTOR WAS INSTALLING A NEW 12 INCH PIPELINE FOR A LIQUIDS PIPELINE COMPANY WHEN THE CONTRACTOR'S TRENCHER STRUCK WILLISTON BASIN'S EIGHT INCH NATURAL GAS TRANSMISSION LINE. THE NEW PIPELINE RUNS PARALLEL TO AN EXISTING LIQUIDS PIPELINE AND CROSSES WILLISTON BASIN'S PIPELINE ON PRIVATE LAND AT AN APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLE. THE TRENCHER STRIKE RESULTED IN TWO HOLES ON THE SIDE OF THE EIGHT INCH WBI PIPELINE RELEASING GAS THAT WAS OPERATING AT APPROXIMATELY 626 PSIG. THE GAS IGNITED AND BURNED THE TRENCHER AND TWO PICKUPS PARKED NEARBY. NO MAJOR INJURIES OR DEATHS OCCURRED. THE CONTRACTOR IMMEDIATELY CALLED WBI'S CONTACT PERSON, QUAIN KUDRNA, AND INFORMED HIM OF THE SITUATION. QUAIN IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED AND NOTIFIED WBI'S GAS CONTROL. WBI WAS ABLE TO ISOLATE THE SECTION OF PIPELINE WITHIN ONE HOUR. THE CONTRACTOR INITIATED A ONE-CALL ON FRIDAY, 11/26/2010. ON MONDAY, 11/29/2010, QUAIN TRAVELED TO THE PROPOSED SITE AND LOCATED WBI'S PIPELINE AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE EXISTING LIQUIDS LINE CROSSED AND NEW PIPELINE WAS PLANNED TO CROSS. QUAIN CALLED THE CONTRACTOR CONTACT AT THAT TIME AND INFORMED HIM OF THE CROSSING AND THAT WBI WILL NEED TO BE AT THE LOCATION PRIOR TO CROSSING TO EXPOSE WBI'S PIPELINE. THE CONTRACTOR INFORMED QUAIN THAT THEY WOULD BE AT THE LOCATION AT THE END OF THAT WEEK AND HE WOULD CALL QUAIN BACK WHEN THEY WERE THERE. THE CONTRACTOR DID NOT CALL QUAIN BACK THAT WEEK AND THE END OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK IS WHEN THE CONTRACTOR HIT WBI'S LINE. THE CONTRACTOR ADMITTED THAT HE FORGOT TO CALL BACK. THE CONTRACTOR ALSO STATED THAT HE DID NOT REMEMBER SEEING THE WBI FLAGS AT THE SITE. AFTER THE GAS WAS BLOWN DOWN AND SITE WAS DETERMINED TO BE SAFE, WBI PERSONNEL INVESTIGATED THE LOCATION. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE CONTRACTOR HAD BLADED THE ROW PRIOR TO EXCAVATING TO REMOVE SNOW WHICH WOULD LIKELY DESTROY THE MARKER FLAGS ON THE ROW. ONE CHARRED MARKER FLAG STILL REMAINED ON THE BLADED ROW BUT WAS FLAT ON THE GROUND. TWO MARKER FLAGS WERE FOUND INTACT ADJACENT TO THE BLADED ROW. ESTIMATES OF DAMAGE TO CONTRACTOR EQUIPMENT WERE OBTAINED FROM CONTRACTOR CONTACT SCOTT LAWSON. THE LOCATE TICKET WITH QUAIN'S NOTES FROM THE DAY HE MARKED AND CALLED ARE ATTACHED IN ADDITION TO SOME PICTURES.