PG&E: “42 Gas Leaks in West Davis Neighborhood”

PG&E has admitted that that in West Davis has experienced at least 42 gas leaks in its distribution lines since 2006. At least two homeowners have said their leaks were not included, so the number could be even higher.

The Davis Vanguard reported several stories last week about the leaks. 

The Stonegate Citizens Safety Committee sent out a release on Friday in response to a meeting between PG&E and 75 residents at the . Here’s the remainder of that release:

According to PG&E, the Stonegate community has 4.7 miles of gas distribution pipe, mostly Aldyl-A made by DuPont. Of that amount, 5.1% is pre-1973 Aldyl-A pipe, which is of special concern.  But according to a 1998 National Transportation Safety Board report, even plastic pipe made through the early 1980s is susceptible to  brittle-like cracking and premature failures under certain circumstances.

"PG&E had information that there were a substantial number of gas leaks clustered in west Davis, yet they kept this information secret from city officials and residents, until it was released yesterday.  I find it unconscionable that PG&E did not act to notify Davis residents and develop a plan to replace the defective pipe," stated David Johnson, a Stonegate homeowner who has experienced two gas leaks.

Even though PG&E has known about this problem for years, the company's action plan for Stonegate is still under development and being prioritized, according to PG&E officials at the open house.

In a one block area on Marina Circle in Stonegate, there have been six gas leaks in the last 18 months. On October 31, PG&E found and repaired four additional leaks in the Stonegate area. PG&E is now conducting twice monthly inspections of gas lines in the area.

A second informational open house hosted by PG&E is scheduled at the Stonegate Country Club in Davis on November 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m., to brief residents.

According to staff writer Jaxon Van Derbeken of the San Francisco Chronicle:

• Aldyl A gas pipes have been linked to one explosion and one fire in Northern California in the past three months. On August 31, a condominium in Cupertino was destroyed by a gas leak from an Aldyl A pipe leak. On September 27, an Aldyl A pipe ruptured in Roseville, sparking a fire at a commercial intersection that burned for seven hours and forced a 12-hour shutdown of the street. 

• Aldyl A has been the subject of two federal safety advisories and several lawsuits stemming from accidents across the country. The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that utility operators locate potential problems and replace those lines. PG&E has 1,231 miles of pre-1973 pipe and 5,800 miles of newer Aldyl A in its distribution system.

The gas lines in question in far west Davis are located under streets, sidewalks and landscaped areas, not inside houses which typically have smaller metal gas pipes.

According to PG&E, the primary gas distribution lines in Stonegate are 2" in diameter, which feed into 1/2" pipes leading to the gas meter on each property. Distribution lines are not similar to the 32" steel gas transmission line that exploded in San Bruno. The San Bruno transmission pipe also had an increased amount of gas pressure, much more than the distribution lines in west Davis.

Residents should be aware that natural gas is odorless but PG&E places a sulfur based chemical in the gas for detection purposes.

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