PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
gas_transmission Incident — — March 5, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 5, 2010 |
| Operator | PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 38.15580, -121.69130 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $50,000 |
| Emergency Response | $5,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"A FIRE OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 HOURS ON 3/5/10 AT THE LINE 114 DEHYDRATOR STATION NEAR RIO VISTA. DUE TO A DEHYDRATOR UPSET FROM AN UPSTREAM GAS SUPPLIER (VENOCO) LARGER THAN NORMAL QUANTITIES OF FLAMMABLE PIPELINE LIQUIDS WERE INTRODUCED INTO THE PG&E DEHYDRATOR. THE EXTRA LIQUIDS TRAVELED THROUGH THE CONTACT TOWER, OVERWHELMING THE VAPOR RECOVERY SYSTEM AND EVENTUALLY REACHED THE REBOILER NATURAL GAS FIRED BURNER WHERE THE LIQUIDS IGNITED. PROPERTY DAMAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY $50,000. THERE WERE NO FATALITIES AND NO INJURIES. SACRAMENTO TV CHANNEL 10 REPORTED THE STORY ON MONDAY MORNING 3/9/10; PG&E DID NOT BECOME AWARE OF THE REPORT UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OF 3/9/10."
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.