CONSOLIDATED EDISON CO OF NEW YORK

Incident Narrative

ON DECEMBER 29, 2015 AT 11:15, A CON EDISON METER READER REPORTED AN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE GAS LEAK AT 4662 PARK AVE., BRONX, NEW YORK TO THE COMPANY'S GAS EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER (GERC). GAS DISTRIBUTION SERVICES (GDS) AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK (FDNY) WERE DISPATCHED, ARRIVED AT 11:23 AND INVESTIGATED. AT 11:39, GDS DETECTED 3% NATURAL GAS IN A SEWER MANHOLE AND OBSERVED GAS BUBBLING IN RAIN WATER ON THE ROAD SURFACE. SUPERVISION WAS NOTIFIED AND GAS CONSTRUCTION WAS DISPATCHED. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED AND AT 12:45, SUPERVISION REPORTED DETECTING 62% IN ELECTRIC MANHOLE M26008. THE COVER WAS PULLED TO VENT THE TYPE 1 READINGS. THE FDNY REMAINED ON LOCATION AND ASSISTED GDS INVESTIGATE BUILDINGS AND SUBSURFACE STRUCTURES IN THE AREA TO ENSURE NO GAS MIGRATED INTO THESE LOCATIONS. AT 13:36, SUPERVISION REPORTED A PROBABLE WATER MAIN BREAK IN THE AREA DUE TO WATER INFILTRATION INTO THE REPAIR EXCAVATION AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF EAST 188 STREET AND PARK AVENUE AND N.Y.C. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (DEP) WAS NOTIFIED TO RESPOND. AT 13:48, GDS REPORTED A GAS FIRE IN THE EXCAVATION WHICH WAS QUICKLY EXTINGUISHED WITH A PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. FDNY WAS ON LOCATION AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED AT THAT TIME. SUPERVISION REPORTED FROM LOCATION AN UNIDENTIFIED ELECTRIC FACILITY MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED WITH A DIGGING BAR AS A SUSPECTED SOURCE OF THE IGNITION. AT 14:09, TWO GAS CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES AND ONE COMPANY CONTRACTOR (PETMAR CO.) EMPLOYEE WERE TRANSPORTED VIA EMS TO JACOBI MEDICAL CENTER WITH SUSPECTED 1ST DEGREE BURNS TO THEIR FACES, AND ONE GAS CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEE WAS TRANSPORTED BY HIS SUPERVISOR TO THE SAME HOSPITAL DUE TO SUSPECTED BURNS TO THE FACE AS WELL. MULTIPLE INTERNAL COMPANY DEPARTMENTS WERE NOTIFIED. FIRE BANK LOCATIONS ON THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST CORNERS OF EAST 188 STREET WERE IDENTIFIED TO CUT AND CAP THE GAS MAIN AND GAS DISTRIBUTION ENGINEERING DETERMINED THERE WOULD BE NO NEGATIVE SYSTEM IMPACT OR CUSTOMER OUTAGES AS A RESULT OF THE 6"" LOW PRESSURE MAIN ISOLATION. ELECTRIC OPERATIONS DE-ENERGIZED THE ELECTRIC FEEDER SUSPECTED TO HAVE BEEN DAMAGED (FEEDER 3X71) AND FIRE BANKS WERE EXCAVATED, THE MAIN WAS TAPPED AND AT 18:17 STOPPERS WERE INSTALLED ISOLATING THE AFFECTED SEGMENT OF MAIN. AT 19:03, THE MAIN WAS CUT AND CAPPED AND BOTH END CAPS WERE INSTALLED AND AT 19:16, GDS REPORTED THAT ALL GAS READINGS DISSIPATED. IT WAS REPORTED AT 17:04, THAT ALL FOUR INJURED PERSONNEL WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL WITH FIRST AID TREATMENT ONLY. THE INITIAL EXCAVATION, MADE IN THE ROADWAY OFF THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION, WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN A LARGE PIECE OF CONCRETE WHICH HAD APPARENTLY BECOME DISLODGED FROM THE ROADWAY PAVEMENT. THAT EXCAVATION, AND OTHERS MADE TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK, ALSO CONTAINED VISIBLE VOIDS IN THE SUBSURFACE SOIL CAUSED BY THE LEAKING WATER MAIN. BEFORE THE DEP MADE REPAIRS TO THE WATER MAIN THE LEAKING WATER WAS HEARD FLOWING IN A CATCH BASIN LOCATED AT THE NORTHERLY CURB OF E 188TH STREET. THE STREET VOIDS UNDER THE PAVEMENT CAUSED THE LOW PRESSURE CAST IRON MAIN TO CRACK AND RELEASE NATURAL GAS. SIGNIFICANT MEDIA COVERAGE WAS REPORTED ON LOCATION INCLUDING CHANNEL 4, CHANNEL 7, CHANNEL 11 AND NEWS12. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, N.Y.S. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE (PSC) AND N.Y.C. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WERE NOTIFIED AND UPDATED; PSC STAFF AND OSHA RESPONDED TO THE LOCATION. NTSB SENIOR PIPELINE INVESTIGATOR ROGER EVANS CALLED THE GERC, WAS UPDATED AND REPORTED THIS INCIDENT DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENT FOR NTSB RESPONSE AND INVESTIGATION. MR. EVANS REPORTED HE WAS SATISFIED WITH THE INFORMATION PROVIDED.