CONSUMERS ENERGY CO

Incident Narrative

ON AUGUST 14, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 15:56 HOURS CONSUMERS ENERGY (CE) WAS NOTIFIED OF DAMAGE TO A 12"" STEEL MEDIUM PRESSURE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. THE PIPELINE WAS STRUCK BY A TRENCHING MACHINE BEING USED TO INSTALL DRAIN TILE IN A FARM FIELD. THE DAMAGE OCCURRED NEAR 4675 HACKETT ROAD, SAGINAW (SAGINAW COUNTY) MICHIGAN. A GAS SERVICE WORKER (GSW) AND DISTRIBUTION CREW ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 16:35 AND 16:41 HOURS RESPECTIVELY. THE GSW MONITORED THE SITE CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL THE DAMAGED PIPELINE SEGMENT WAS ISOLATED AND THE BLOWING GAS CONTAINED. POLICE AND FIRE PERSONNEL WERE ONSITE AND PORTIONS OF THE ROAD WERE CLOSED AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION. THERE WERE NO FATALITIES OR INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE DAMAGE. THE PIPELINE WAS ISOLATED AT APPROXIMATELY 19:17 HOURS BY SQUEEZING AN 8"" PLASTIC PIPELINE AT THE CONSUMERS ENERGY'S ZILWAUKEE CITY GATE (CUT AND CAP NORTH OF THE DAMAGE) AND CLOSING VALVE M1312 TO THE SOUTH OF THE DAMAGE LOCATION. ONCE THE PIPELINE WAS ISOLATED AND BLOWING GAS CONTAINED, A LOCATION UPSTREAM OF VALVE M1312 WAS CUT AND CAPPED. AN INCIDENT INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE ROOT CAUSE AS A THIRD PARTY DAMAGE. SEVERAL FACTORS THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DAMAGE WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS FOLLOWS (1) FACILITY NOT LOCATED OR MARKED - THE ONE CALL TICKET POSITIVE RESPONSE 001(NO CONFLICT) WAS PROVIDED BY THE STAKING CONTRACTOR FOLLOWING A CONVERSATION WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY INSTALLING DRAIN TILES. (2) UNCLEAR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CE STAKING CONTRACTOR AND THE CONTRACTOR INSTALLING THE DRAINAGE TILE. THE STAKING TECHNICIAN SPOKE WITH CONTRACTOR AND WAS ADVISED (PER DOCUMENTED NOTES) THE ENTIRE SQUARE DOESN'T NEED TO BE MARKED HE NEEDS THE FIELD EAST OF HACKETT THAT ISN'T PLANTED MARKED. APPROXIMATELY 40' OF 12"" STEEL MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPELINE WAS REPLACED BETWEEN THE ZILWAUKEE CITY GATE (NORTH ISOLATION POINT) AND THE SOUTHERLY ISOLATION POINT NEAR VALVE M1312. FOLLOWING THE PIPELINE INSTALLATION, TEMPORARY ODORIZATION EQUIPMENT WAS INSTALLED TO ENSURE ADEQUATE ODOR INTENSITY AS A RESULT OF DERATING FROM TRANSMISSION PIPELINE. ON JULY 20TH AT APPROXIMATELY 15:00 HOURS, CREWS TURNED THE ODORIZATION EQUIPMENT ON AND OPENED VALVES TO INTRODUCE GAS FLOW ON THE PIPELINE, RETURNING THE PIPELINE TO NORMAL OPERATIONS.