PG&E to Replace Pipe, Safety is Big Concern

Until the cause of the natural gas leak that Sept. 27 is known, Pacific Gas & Electric officials said public safety is their No. 1 concern.

Brian Jensen, PG&E government relations consultant, and PG&E Northern Region Superintendent Mike Raab addressed Roseville City Councilmembers and residents during the council meeting Wednesday evening regarding the recent fire that occurred at Riverside Avenue and Cirby Way.

Raab said PG&E has launched a distribution and integrity management program to take a close look at Aldyl-A piping, the type of pipe used at the intersection. Raab said they met with city officials to talk about the program, which involves talking to nationally recognized experts in the plastics industry and integrity management.

Jensen said PG&E officials plan to regularly meet with Roseville city staff to ensure constant communication on gas issues, like upcoming projects. They will also work closely with Roseville Police and Fire on joint emergency response exercises and workshops.

“We want to make sure we’re very thorough on this moving forward,” Jensen said.

The plastic Aldyl-A piping was manufactured from the mid-1960s to the late-1980s, according to Raab. The Roseville pipe was installed in 1981, he said.

According to an article in The Sacramento Bee, Aldyl-A piping was responsible for an explosion in Cupertino late-August. The cause of the recent Roseville leak and fire is still unknown.

“At this time, until we can actually excavate the pipe, do an analysis, we can’t fully understand what the root cause of the incident was. So at this time, I’m not going to speculate at all what the cause of the leak was,” Raab said.

Until the cause is known, PG&E officials are taking extra safety precautions by doing daily leak surveys of the surrounding area to detect if there are any other leaks.

Construction crews will be removing and reinstalling about 400 feet of plastic Aldyl-A pipe at Riverside Avenue and Cirby Way. Construction is estimated to take between three to four weeks and will take place from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, weather permitting. During construction, traffic on westbound Cirby Way may be limited to one lane, Jensen said.

If you smell natural gas, which has a sulfur or rotten egg smell, leave the area, call 911 and PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.

You can check out a full video of PG&E officials’ comments on the natural gas leak here.