Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GTG incident on 2023-12-01 — TX
Operator
Northwest Pipeline Llc
Cause
Notification Issue
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GTG
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$385,000
Incident datetime
2023-12-01 00:00 UTC
Report number
Location
TX
Narrative
On november 8, 2023 at 1:09 pm williams operations was notified by an emergency responder of a potential linestrike on the 12" lewiston lateral line located near pullman, wa. Operations immediately dispatched technicians to the site as well as the two valves upstream and downstream of the site (valves 34-4 and 34-5). Operations technicians were able to close both the upstream and downstream valves at 1:50 pm while other technicians were at the rupture location and confirmed that incident was legitimate and caused by a landowner using a drain tile plow above the pipeline right-of-way. The landowner was not injured, and there were no other injuries associated with the incident. Scada systems, located in houston, tx, were also able to confirm the presence of the rupture via rapid pressure drop seen across the line. As a result of the incident, williams lost service at a collection of meter stations downstream of the rupture, namely pullman, moscow, colton, uniontown, genesee, lewiston east, albion, lewiston west, and lewiston pfi meter stations. Over the course of the next hour pressure at the rupture location continually relieved through the hole created by the landowner's excavator. Operations observed that all pressure had been relieved and noted a 0 psi pressure reading at nearby pullman meter station at 2:27 pm. Throughout the next hours operations worked to identify emergency pre-tested stock pipe to send to the site as quickly as possible. Operations and construction crews were quickly mobilized on-site that night and began working to get the ruptured line replaced with the new pre-tested stock pipe. The new pipe was installed and x-ray examination was completed on the tie-in welds at 2:53 pm on november 9th, 2023. Throughout the next day, operations worked to prepare the affected meter station to begin providing gas to customers again. At 7:15 pm on november 10th, 2023 the entire lewiston lateral was packed to pressure and downstream customers began receiving gas shortly thereafter.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2023-12-01 00:00:00
Iyear
2023
Report Number
20230110
Supplemental Number
39711
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
13845
Name
Northwest Pipeline Llc
Operator Street Address
2800 Post Oak Blvd
Operator City Name
Houston
Operator State Abbreviation
TX
Operator Postal Code
77056
Time Zone
Pacific
Daylight Savings Ind
No
Location Latitude
46.760327
Location Longitude
-117.265508
Nrc Rpt Num
1383793
Additional Nrc Report Numbers
1383896
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
10671
Intentional Release
0
Accompanying Liquid
0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Status When Identified
Normal Operation, Includes Pauses During Maintenance
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Ignite Ind
No
Upstream Action Taken
Valve Closure
Downstream Action Taken
Valve Closure
Num Pub Evacuated
0
On Off Shore
Onshore
Onshore State Abbreviation
Wa
Onshore Postal Code
99163
Onshore City Name
Pullman
Onshore County Name
Whitman
Designated Location
Milepost
Designated Name
57
Pipe Fac Name
Northwest Pipeline
Segment Name
12" Lewiston Lateral
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
41
Other Underground Facilities
No
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Interstate
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
Item Involved
Pipe
Pipe Type
Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter
12.75
Puddle Weld Ind
No
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.25
Pipe Smys
42000
Pipe Specification
Api 5lx
Pipe Seam Type
Longitudinal Erw - Unknown Frequency
Pipe Manufacturer
Kaiser Steel Corporation
Pipe Coating Type
Asphalt
Coating Applied Ind
Yes
Installation Year
1956
Manufactured Year
1956
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Rupture
Rupture Orient
Longitudinal
Rupture Length
18
Rupture Width
21
Class Location Type
Class 1 Location
Could Be Hca
No
Pir Radius
235
Heat Damage Ind
No
Non Heat Damage Ind
No
Did Occur In Mca Ind
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
0
Est Cost Unintentional Release
95826
Est Cost Intentional Release
0
Est Cost Prop Damage
385000
Est Cost Emergency
0
Est Cost Other
0
Gas Cost In Mcf
8.98
Prpty
480826
Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght
0
Num Injured Treated By Emt
0
Num Resident Building Affctd
0
Num Business Building Affctd
0
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Accident Psig
658
Gas Flow In Pipe In Mcf
132000
Mop Psig
811
Mop Cfr Section
192.619(A)(2)
Maop Established Date
1956-10-23 00:00:00
Maop Reversal Flow Ind
Bi-Directional
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Gas Required Odorized Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Length Segment Isolated
72864
Internal Inspection Ind
Yes
Operation Complications Ind
No
Pipeline Function
Transmission System
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
No
Scada Conf Ind
Yes
Accident Identifier
Notification From Emergency Responder
Investigation Status
No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate)
Investigation Status Details
Scada system operated as intended and was able to identify the pressure drop and confirm the pipeline rupture remotely from the control room located in houston, tx.
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Excavation Damage
Cause Details
Excavation Damage By Third Party
Ex Party Type
Excavation Damage By Third Party
Prior Notification Ind
No
State Law Exempt Ind
No
Notify Cga Dirt
No
Private Row Ind
Yes
Private Subtype
Private Landowner
Joint Trench Ind
No
Cross Bore Ind
No
Depth Of Grade
Measured Depth From Grade
Depth Of Grade Detail
36
Excavator Type
Farmer
Excavator Equipment
Farm Equipment
Work Performed
Drainage
One Call Notified Ind
No
Locator Type
Unknown/other
Visible Marks
Yes
Service Interruption
Yes
Service Interruption Hours
55
Root Cause Category
Notification Issue
Root Cause Type
No Notification Made To The One-Call Center/811
Preparer Name
T***** K J*****
Preparer Title
Pipeline Safety Engineer
Preparer Email
T************@w*******.com
Preparer Telephone
2813828869
Authorizer Name
J*** B***
Authorizer Title
Pipeline Safety Manager
Authorizer Telephone
3373179145
Authorizer Email
J********@w*******.com
Narrative
On november 8, 2023 at 1:09 pm williams operations was notified by an emergency responder of a potential linestrike on the 12" lewiston lateral line located near pullman, wa. Operations immediately dispatched technicians to the site as well as the two valves upstream and downstream of the site (valves 34-4 and 34-5). Operations technicians were able to close both the upstream and downstream valves at 1:50 pm while other technicians were at the rupture location and confirmed that incident was legitimate and caused by a landowner using a drain tile plow above the pipeline right-of-way. The landowner was not injured, and there were no other injuries associated with the incident. Scada systems, located in houston, tx, were also able to confirm the presence of the rupture via rapid pressure drop seen across the line. As a result of the incident, williams lost service at a collection of meter stations downstream of the rupture, namely pullman, moscow, colton, uniontown, genesee, lewiston east, albion, lewiston west, and lewiston pfi meter stations. Over the course of the next hour pressure at the rupture location continually relieved through the hole created by the landowner's excavator. Operations observed that all pressure had been relieved and noted a 0 psi pressure reading at nearby pullman meter station at 2:27 pm. Throughout the next hours operations worked to identify emergency pre-tested stock pipe to send to the site as quickly as possible. Operations and construction crews were quickly mobilized on-site that night and began working to get the ruptured line replaced with the new pre-tested stock pipe. The new pipe was installed and x-ray examination was completed on the tie-in welds at 2:53 pm on november 9th, 2023. Throughout the next day, operations worked to prepare the affected meter station to begin providing gas to customers again. At 7:15 pm on november 10th, 2023 the entire lewiston lateral was packed to pressure and downstream customers began receiving gas shortly thereafter.
| Report Received Date | 2023-12-01 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2023 |
| Report Number | 20230110 |
| Supplemental Number | 39711 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 13845 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Northwest Pipeline Llc |
| Operator Street Address | 2800 Post Oak Blvd |
| Operator City Name | Houston |
| Operator State Abbreviation | TX |
| Operator Postal Code | 77056 |
| Time Zone | Pacific |
| Daylight Savings Ind | No |
| Location Latitude | 46.760327 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -117.265508 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1383793 NRC Report How to search |
| Additional Nrc Report Numbers | 1383896 |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 10671 |
| Intentional Release | 0 |
| Accompanying Liquid | 0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Status When Identified | Normal Operation, Includes Pauses During Maintenance |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Ignite Ind | No |
| Upstream Action Taken | Valve Closure |
| Downstream Action Taken | Valve Closure |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Wa |
| Onshore Postal Code | 99163 |
| Onshore City Name | Pullman |
| Onshore County Name | Whitman |
| Designated Location | Milepost |
| Designated Name | 57 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Northwest Pipeline |
| Segment Name | 12" Lewiston Lateral |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Soil |
| Depth Of Cover | 41 |
| Other Underground Facilities | No |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Interstate |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| Item Involved | Pipe |
| Pipe Type | Pipe Body |
| Pipe Diameter | 12.75 |
| Puddle Weld Ind | No |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.25 |
| Pipe Smys | 42000 |
| Pipe Specification | Api 5lx |
| Pipe Seam Type | Longitudinal Erw - Unknown Frequency |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Kaiser Steel Corporation |
| Pipe Coating Type | Asphalt |
| Coating Applied Ind | Yes |
| Installation Year | 1956 |
| Manufactured Year | 1956 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Rupture |
| Rupture Orient | Longitudinal |
| Rupture Length | 18 |
| Rupture Width | 21 |
| Class Location Type | Class 1 Location |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Pir Radius | 235 |
| Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Non Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Did Occur In Mca Ind | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 0 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 95826 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 0 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 385000 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 0 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Gas Cost In Mcf | 8.98 |
| Prpty | 480826 |
| Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght | 0 |
| Num Injured Treated By Emt | 0 |
| Num Resident Building Affctd | 0 |
| Num Business Building Affctd | 0 |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Accident Psig | 658 |
| Gas Flow In Pipe In Mcf | 132000 |
| Mop Psig | 811 |
| Mop Cfr Section | 192.619(A)(2) View CFR 49 §192 |
| Maop Established Date | 1956-10-23 00:00:00 |
| Maop Reversal Flow Ind | Bi-Directional |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Gas Required Odorized Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Length Segment Isolated | 72864 |
| Internal Inspection Ind | Yes |
| Operation Complications Ind | No |
| Pipeline Function | Transmission System |
| Scada In Place Ind | Yes |
| Scada Operating Ind | Yes |
| Scada Functional Ind | Yes |
| Scada Detection Ind | No |
| Scada Conf Ind | Yes |
| Accident Identifier | Notification From Emergency Responder |
| Investigation Status | No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate) |
| Investigation Status Details | Scada system operated as intended and was able to identify the pressure drop and confirm the pipeline rupture remotely from the control room located in houston, tx. |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | No |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Cause | Excavation Damage |
| Cause Details | Excavation Damage By Third Party |
| Ex Party Type | Excavation Damage By Third Party |
| Prior Notification Ind | No |
| State Law Exempt Ind | No |
| Notify Cga Dirt | No |
| Private Row Ind | Yes |
| Private Subtype | Private Landowner |
| Joint Trench Ind | No |
| Cross Bore Ind | No |
| Depth Of Grade | Measured Depth From Grade |
| Depth Of Grade Detail | 36 |
| Excavator Type | Farmer |
| Excavator Equipment | Farm Equipment |
| Work Performed | Drainage |
| One Call Notified Ind | No |
| Locator Type | Unknown/other |
| Visible Marks | Yes |
| Service Interruption | Yes |
| Service Interruption Hours | 55 |
| Root Cause Category | Notification Issue |
| Root Cause Type | No Notification Made To The One-Call Center/811 |
| Preparer Name | T***** K J***** |
| Preparer Title | Pipeline Safety Engineer |
| Preparer Email | T************@w*******.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 2813828869 |
| Authorizer Name | J*** B*** |
| Authorizer Title | Pipeline Safety Manager |
| Authorizer Telephone | 3373179145 |
| Authorizer Email | J********@w*******.com |
| Narrative | On november 8, 2023 at 1:09 pm williams operations was notified by an emergency responder of a potential linestrike on the 12" lewiston lateral line located near pullman, wa. Operations immediately dispatched technicians to the site as well as the two valves upstream and downstream of the site (valves 34-4 and 34-5). Operations technicians were able to close both the upstream and downstream valves at 1:50 pm while other technicians were at the rupture location and confirmed that incident was legitimate and caused by a landowner using a drain tile plow above the pipeline right-of-way. The landowner was not injured, and there were no other injuries associated with the incident. Scada systems, located in houston, tx, were also able to confirm the presence of the rupture via rapid pressure drop seen across the line. As a result of the incident, williams lost service at a collection of meter stations downstream of the rupture, namely pullman, moscow, colton, uniontown, genesee, lewiston east, albion, lewiston west, and lewiston pfi meter stations. Over the course of the next hour pressure at the rupture location continually relieved through the hole created by the landowner's excavator. Operations observed that all pressure had been relieved and noted a 0 psi pressure reading at nearby pullman meter station at 2:27 pm. Throughout the next hours operations worked to identify emergency pre-tested stock pipe to send to the site as quickly as possible. Operations and construction crews were quickly mobilized on-site that night and began working to get the ruptured line replaced with the new pre-tested stock pipe. The new pipe was installed and x-ray examination was completed on the tie-in welds at 2:53 pm on november 9th, 2023. Throughout the next day, operations worked to prepare the affected meter station to begin providing gas to customers again. At 7:15 pm on november 10th, 2023 the entire lewiston lateral was packed to pressure and downstream customers began receiving gas shortly thereafter. |
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