APRIL 12, 2015
GLEN DALE, W.VA.
Williams Energy and state regulators are investigating two
natural gas pipeline ruptures that occurred within hours of each other in
Marshall County.
A 4-inch pipeline ruptured northeast of Glen Dale shortly
before 8 p.m. Thursday. About three hours later, a 12-inch pipeline ruptured
along U.S. 250 in the Bane Lane area.
“Company personnel believe heavy rains in the area, which
may have destabilized soils, were a contributing factor,” Williams spokeswoman
Helen Humphreys told The Intelligencer and the Wheeling News-Register.
Humphreys said the pipelines were carrying condensate, a mix
of petroleum products found in natural gas.
The company and the Department of Environmental Protection
were working to determine how much condensate spilled into Little Grave Creek
from the 4-inch pipeline.
Humphreys said company officials discovered the first leak
after they learned of a “strong petroleum-based odor” about 8:45 p.m. Thursday
along Little Grave Creek. The company isolated the rupture and closed the valve
to the line to stop the condensate's flow.
“Williams is mobilizing all resources necessary to mitigate
any possible environmental impacts. As part of Williams' investigation, the
company is conducting numerous tests to understand whether and to what extent
the waterways may have been impacted,” she said.
There were no evacuations after the first pipeline rupture.
Residents of five homes in the area of the second rupture left their homes for
a short time as a precautionary measure.
Humphreys said the ruptured 12-inch line collects natural
gas from producing wells throughout the area for shipment to the nearby Fort
Beeler plant.
A section of U.S. 250 was closed while workers turned off
the gas stream running through the pipeline. The highway reopened about 11:45
p.m. Thursday, said county Emergency Management Director Tom Hart.
Source:www.wtrf.com