CENTERPOINT ENERGY GAS TRANSMISSION — Gas transmission and gathering — incident on 2011-09-24

Gas transmission and gathering incident in NORTH LITTLE ROCK, PULASKI County, AR. Reported cause: OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE. Reported consequences: 0 fatalities, 0 injuries, 5831 NATURAL GAS released, $17,583 reported property damage. Operator-reported incident data submitted to PHMSA, generally within 30 days. Records may be supplemented or corrected and do not represent final agency causal findings.

Report number: 20110376.

Operator ID: 602.

Reported incident date: 9/24/2011 0:30.

Location detail: 274+50

Cause detail: DAMAGE BY CAR, TRUCK, OR OTHER MOTORIZED VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION

Cause detail: ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2011 AT 00:30 CEGT SYSTEM CONTROL RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM A THIRD PARTY RESIDENCE AT 5319 JOSLIN STREET, NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS OF LOUD NOISE, POSSIBLE GAS BLOWING IN WOODS NEAR HIS HOME. AT 00:31CEGT SYSTEM CONTROL NOTIFIED A CEGT WEST POINT TEAM MEMBER AND GAVE HIM THE CALLERS REPORT INFORMATION. AT 00:45 SYSTEM CONTROL NOTIFIED SOUTHERN GAS OPERATIONS (SGO - DISTRIBUTION) REGARDING THE REPORTED INFORMATION OF A POSSIBLE LEAK. AT 00:55 A CEGT CARLISLE TEAM MEMBER NOTIFIED CEGT SYSTEM CONTROL THAT HE AND A SGO TECHNICIAN WERE IN ROUTE TO THE LOCATION. AT 01:45 CEGT AND SGO PERSONNEL NOTIFIED SYSTEM CONTROL THAT THE LEAK IS ON CEGT'S LINE B AND THAT IT APPEARS THAT SOMEONE HIT A 2 INCH ABOVE GROUND LINE AND THAT GAS IS STILL BLOWING. NORTH LITTLE ROCK POLICE WERE CHASING A STOLEN VEHICLE AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE RAN THROUGH CEGT'S FACILITY GATE AND EXITED THE OTHER END OF FENCED IN YARD. THE CHASE ENDED ON CEGT'S LINE B ROW UPSTREAM FROM THE LINE B DELIVERY TO NORTH LITTLE ROCK FACILITY AND YARD. ONCE THE PERPETRATORS WERE APPREHENDED, THE NLR POLICE DEPARTMENT CALLED IN 3 WRECKERS TO PICKUP STOLEN VEHICLE AND 2 SEVERELY DAMAGED POLICE CARS. ONE OF THE WRECKERS GOT TANGLED IN THE DOWN FENCING AND RAN OVER OUR 2 INCH BLOW DOWN AND BROKE IT OFF AT THE TOP OF LINE B. AT 02:36 CEGT SYSTEM CONTROL WAS NOTIFIED BY THE CARLISLE TEAM THAT THE VALVES WERE CLOSED TO ISOLATE THE AFFECTED SECTION ON LINE B IN PREPARATION TO START REPAIRS. AT 02:40 CEGT SYSTEM CONTROL NOTIFIED NRC (INCIDENT #990655) OF THE ABOVE INCIDENT. AT 06:30 TECHNICIANS REPORTED TO SYSTEM CONTROL THAT THE PRESSURE IS AT ZERO, THE SEGMENT IS ISOLATED. REPAIRS ARE IN PROGRESS. AT 14:30 TECHNICIANS REPORTED TO SYSTEM CONTROL THAT THAT EVERYTHING IS BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION AND SGO HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. AT 19:30 SGO REPORTS TO SYSTEM CONTROL THAT THE LAST AFFECTED DOMESTIC CUSTOMER IS NOW BACK IN SERVICE.

PHMSA trend classification: not significant, not serious.

PHMSA standardized cause: OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE — VEHICLE NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION.

PHMSA indexed costs: $46,293 reported total cost, $28,416.905 in 1984 dollars, $51,173.309 in current-year dollars.

PHMSA trend flags, standardized causes, and indexed costs are analytical fields added to operator-reported incident data. They do not represent final agency causal findings.