PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 1439 HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, THE CONTRA COSTA FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTIFIED PG&E OF A THIRD-PARTY DIG-IN AT 3218 QUANDT ROAD IN LAFAYETTE. THE THIRD PARTY, EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT (EBMUD), WAS CONDUCTING WATER MAIN WORK. EBMUD STRUCK PG&E'S 2-INCH STEEL DISTRIBUTION MAIN WITH A BACKHOE, CAUSING AN UNINTENTIONAL RELEASE OF GAS. THERE WAS A VALID USA TICKET (#354045) AND THE GAS FACILITIES WERE PROPERLY MARKED. THE THIRD-PARTY FAILED TO HAND-DIG AND EXPOSE FACILITIES PRIOR TO USING MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT. PG&E'S GAS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (GSR) ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 1451 HOURS WITH A REPAIR CREW ARRIVING AT 1520 HOURS. GAS WAS SHUT-IN AT 1650 HOURS BY EXCAVATING AND SQUEEZING THE DISTRIBUTION MAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF GAS SERVICE FOR 105 CUSTOMERS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE WERE ON SCENE. TRAFFIC WAS REROUTED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES. NO MEDIA WAS OBSERVED ON SCENE. REPAIRS TO THE 2-INCH STEEL MAIN WERE COMPLETED AT 0455 HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2014. AS OF 1515 HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 16, PG&E RESTORED GAS SERVICE TO 87 CUSTOMERS. THE REMAINING 18 CUSTOMERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE INITIAL RELIGHT EFFORT. AS OF SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, GAS SERVICE WAS RESTORED FOR ALL REMAINING CUSTOMERS. THE AMOUNT OF GAS RELEASED IS LESS THAN 3 MMCF. THIS WAS INITIALLY REPORTED ONLY TO THE CPUC BASED ON OPERATOR JUDGMENT AS APPROXIMATELY 105 CUSTOMERS LOST GAS SERVICE AS A RESULT OF THE DIG IN. PG&E RECENTLY CONFIRMED THAT DAMAGES RELATING TO THIS INCIDENT EXCEED $50,000. PG&E NOTIFIED THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER ON OCTOBER 13, 2014.