WISCONSIN GAS LLC DBA WE ENERGIES

Incident Narrative

ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29TH, 2015, AT 9:32 A.M., WE ENERGIES WAS NOTIFIED BY A LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT A GAS MAIN HAD BEEN STRUCK BY A CONTRACTOR PERFORMING SOIL BORINGS AT 316 S. MAIN STREET IN MEDFORD, WISCONSIN. WE ENERGIES DISPATCHED A FIRST RESPONDER TO THE SITE AT 9:34 A.M. AND DETERMINED THE VALVES REQUIRED TO STOP THE FLOW OF GAS. WHILE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS EVACUATING BUILDINGS WITHIN A 2 BLOCK RADIUS OF THE DAMAGED GAS MAIN, THE GAS IGNITED AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 A.M. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE SOIL BORING MACHINE, WHICH WAS LEFT ON, WAS THE SOURCE OF IGNITION. THE FIRST EMPLOYEE FROM WE ENERGIES ARRIVED ON SITE AT 10:05 A.M. AND THE GAS WAS SHUT OFF AT 10:37 A.M. ONCE THE GAS WAS SHUT OFF AND THE SITE WAS DEEMED SAFE, WE ENERGIES EMPLOYEES ASSESSED WHETHER OR NOT THIS EVENT MET THE CRITERIA OF A REPORTABLE INCIDENT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES AND THAT THE AMOUNT OF GAS RELEASED WAS WELL BELOW 3 MMCF; HOWEVER, PROPERTY DAMAGE OF MORE THAN $50,000 OCCURRED. A PHONE NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER AT 11:38 A.M. OF A POSSIBLE NATURAL GAS INCIDENT PER 49 CFR PART 191.3. THE WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION PIPELINE SAFETY MANAGER WAS ALSO INFORMED OF THE INCIDENT. AFTER THE FIRE HAD BEEN COMPLETELY EXTINGUISHED AND THE DEBRIS HAD BEEN REMOVED, WE ENERGIES REPLACED THE DAMAGE SECTION OF 4 INCH STEEL MAIN. THE MAIN REPAIR WAS COMPLETED BY ABOUT 4:00 P.M. AND RESTORING SERVICE TO THE 13 CUSTOMERS AFFECTED PROCEEDED THROUGH THE EVENING. INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT DETERMINED THAT THE SOIL BORING CONTRACTOR PROVIDED AN INADEQUATE DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA REQUIRING UTILITY LOCATES TO THE ONE CALL SYSTEM.