GREAT LAKES GAS TRANSMISSION CO
gas_transmission Incident — — April 6, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 6, 2011 |
| Operator | GREAT LAKES GAS TRANSMISSION CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.78806, -82.47778 |
Cause
| Cause | NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | "EARTH MOVEMENT, NOT DUE TO HEAVY RAINS/FLOODS" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $325,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"INVESTIGATION OF SLIGHT BUBBLING EMANATING FROM THE GROUND DURING THE ANNUAL CP SURVEY AT THE MLV/LAUNCHER SITE REVEALED THAT NATURAL GAS WAS LEAKING FROM A FLANGE LOCATED UNDERGROUND. POSSIBLE SOIL SETTLEMENT MOST LIKELY RESULTED IN A DOWNWARD SETTLING OF THE 24"" PIPE ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OFF THE FLANGE. THIS IN TURN THAT CAUSED THE FLANGE TO COCK SLIGHTLY, THUS CAUSING A SMALL LEAK PAST THE GASKET AT THE APPROXIMATE 12 O'CLOCK POSITION. BECAUSE THE FLANGE COULD NOT BE SEPARATED, IT WAS CUT OUT ALONG WITH A VALVE A FEW FEET UPSTREAM OF THE FLANGE, AS WELL AS SOME DOWNSTREAM PIPING AND A SMALLER CROSSOVER VALVE TO RELIEVE THE SOIL STRESSES ON THE PIPING. NEW PIPE WAS INSTALLED WITHOUT REPLACING THE FLANGE OR VALVES."
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.