PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
gas_transmission Incident — — May 25, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 25, 2011 |
| Operator | PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 37.42541, -122.09328 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $30,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"DURING A SCHEDULED HYDROTEST JOB, THE VALVE STEM ON AN INLET FIRE VALVE TO A REGULATOR STATION AT 2445 GARCIA AVENUE IN MOUNTAIN VIEW BROKE AT 1745 HOURS. THE VALVE WAS BEING OPERATED TO RELEASE WATER FROM THE LINE. THE VALVE WAS BROKEN IN THE PARTIALLY OPEN POSITION CAUSING GAS TO ESCAPE. IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE BROKEN VALVE TO MAKE REPAIRS, APPROXIMATELY 7000 FEET OF LINE 132A (RENGSTORFF STATION [MOUNTAIN VIEW GOLF COURSE] TO THE SIERRA VISTA REGULATOR STATION [AT ROCK AND SIERRA VISTA AVENUE]) WAS BLOWN DOWN STARTING AT 1950 HOURS. GAS FLOW STOPPED AT APPROXIMATELY 2020 HOURS. THE DELAY BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF THE VALVE STEM AND THE START OF THE BLOW DOWN WAS THE TIME REQUIRED TO DEVELOP THE PLAN FOR THE SITUATION AND TO OBTAIN THE REQUIRED CLEARANCES. THE ESTIMATED VOLUME OF THE GAS RELEASED TO ATMOSPHERE WAS 3,000 MCF WHICH CAUSED THE NEED TO REPORT THIS INCIDENT. NO SERVICE HAS BEEN LOST."
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.