ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION - MID-TEX

Incident Narrative

AT 2:39 PM ON MARCH 10, 2017, ATMOS ENERGY WAS NOTIFIED BY DALLAS FIRE & RESCUE (DFR) OF AN EVENT IN THE 2100 BLOCK OF MAIN ST. IN DALLAS. ATMOS ENERGY'S FIRST RESPONDERS ARRIVED ON-SITE AT 3:20 PM DISCOVERING A THIRD PARTY DAMAGE AND GAS IGNITION HAD OCCURRED ON A 6"" POLY MAIN STRUCK BY A TRUCK-MOUNTED AUGER NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF MAIN STREET AND CESAR CHAVEZ BOULEVARD. ATMOS ENERGY PERSONNEL ELIMINATED GAS FLOW TO THE DAMAGED SECTION OF PIPE - ISOLATION POINTS WERE IDENTIFIED AND LOCATED, AND THE VALVES WERE CLOSED AT 4:09 PM. ALL OF THE ROADS EXCEPT THE 2100 BLOCK OF MAIN STREET WERE REOPENED. AS A RESULT OF THE MAIN ISOLATION, TWO COMMERCIAL SERVICES WERE TEMPORARILY INTERRUPTED. GAS FLOW WAS REINSTATED AT 12:20 AM (MARCH11TH) ALLOWING THE INTERRUPTED SERVICES TO BE RESTORED. APPROXIMATELY 29 YARDS OF MAIN WAS DEACTIVATED AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT. THE 2100 BLOCK OF MAIN STREET WAS REOPENED UPON COMPLETION OF THE DEACTIVATION. FIRST RESPONDERS WERE NOTIFIED BY DALLAS FIRE & RESCUE THAT APPROXIMATELY 25 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED FROM THE ADDRESSES OF 2121 MAIN ST. AND 2108 MAIN ST. AN AREA SURROUNDING THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT WAS CORDONED OFF, FROM US 75 TO PEARL STREET TO PACIFIC AVENUE TO JACKSON STREET. THIS 6"" POLY MAIN HAD BEEN INSTALLED AND HAD BEEN PLACED IN SERVICE ON FEBRUARY 27, 2017. THE CONTRACTORS ON ATMOS ENERGY'S PROJECT AND THE CITY OF DALLAS' PROJECT WERE WORKING SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE SAME AREA IN THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT. ATMOS ENERGY FOLLOWED IT APPROVED PROCEDURES, IN COMPLIANCE WITH PART 192.603(B), TO RECORD THIS NEW ASSET IN THE GIS ELECTRONIC MAPPING SYSTEM USED BY ITS LOCATORS. DUE TO THE TIME IT TAKES TO COMPLETE THIS PROCESS, THIS ASSET WAS NOT REFLECTED IN THE ELECTRONIC MAPPING AT THE TIME THE LOCATE TICKET WAS COMPLETED IN THIS AREA ON MARCH 3, 2017. AS A RESULT, THE NEW ASSET WAS NOT MARKED WITH THE LOCATE TICKET. HOWEVER, THERE WERE EXISTING VISUAL INDICATORS IN PLACE, INCLUDING A FRESH DITCH LINE COVERED WITH NEW ASPHALT IN-LINE WITH THE POINT OF DAMAGE; VISIBLE AND YELLOW PAINTED GAS VALVE BOXES ON MAIN STREET 15 YARDS FROM THE POINT OF DAMAGE; AND A LARGE CAPACITY METER IN THE ALLEY FOR 2121 MAIN STREET. BECAUSE THE THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR HAD AN OBLIGATION PER 18 TAC 18.4 TO MAKE A VISUAL CHECK FOR ANY UNMARKED UNDERGROUND PIPELINES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ABOVE-GROUND PIPELINE VALVES, METER SETS, AND OTHER VISUAL MARKINGS, THE PRIMARY CAUSE THAT LED TO THE INCIDENT WAS DETERMINED TO BE INSUFFICIENT EXCAVATION PRACTICES. A PROJECT TO REPLACE THE DEACTIVATED MAIN WAS COMPLETED ON AUGUST 16, 2017.