Time After Time - Can We Learn From the Past?
By Mike Holmstrom

Photo: Hand digging a pipeline-Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Two of the deadliest pipeline accidents in U.S. history happened in California, and in both cases government agencies were using a contractor for construction work. In both cases, the pipeline companies were informed about the work that was being done near their pipelines, but lack of clearly locating the pipeline was a factor in the accident

The first accident was in Los Angeles in June of 1976. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), had contracted for the widening of Venice Boulevard. Caltrans conducted two preconstruction meetings the previous fall on the project, including discussions of existing utilities and pipelines. The pipeline company, SOCAL (now Chevron-Texaco) did not attend either of these meetings, but it did submit a drawing of the location of it's pipeline, with an estimated depth of 42 inches below the existing surface of Venice Boulevard. SOCAL did send crews to inspect their line during this construction, but the last formal contact they had with Caltrans was 4 months before the accident. Test holes were dug to locate the actual pipeline placement, but the nearest test holes to the eventual rupture site were 328 feet in one direction and 300 feet in other direction. An equipment operator did not know exactly where the pipeline was, but he thought it had enough cover that he would not hit it. He ruptured this 8 inch line, spraying the area with gasoline. Ninety seconds later it ignited killing 9 people, injuring 14 others, and causing extensive property damage.

The second accident was the more recent Kinder Morgan (KM) accident at Walnut Creek, CA on November 9, 2004. The East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) was building a 60 inch water pipeline through an area parallel to the KM line. Disputes with an earlier contractor arose over claimed inaccurate information about the location of the KM line. Later, EBMUD fired this first contractor for building too slow. A new contractor was hired just as the project was approaching a known bend in the KM line. A backhoe hit the KM line in the bend area, spraying the area with jet fuel. It ignited in a few seconds, killing 5 workers and seriously burning several others. While both KM and EBMUD knew of the pipeline's bend, the survivors claim not to have known of the pipeline. Many agencies are looking into this accident at this time.

Both of these accidents could have been prevented by having the pipeline clearly located, and by having an inspector from the pipeline company onsite when excavation near the pipelines was in progress. How many more preventable accidents will cause death and destruction before we learn these lessons from the past?