Pressure Increase Noted In Pipeline Console Prior To Explosions

LAWRENCE, MA — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board will be in the Merrimack Valley for seven to 10 days as they attempt to figure out what caused Thursday’s gas disaster in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover.

Robert Sumwalt, the chairman of the NTSB, told reporters Saturday afternoon that a pipeline controller’s console in Columbus, Ohio noted an increase in pressure in a gas pipe in Lawrence. The pipeline controller will be interviewed as part of the investigation.

Sumwalt said that investigators will develop a timeline going back several weeks and will look at complaints from the public about any odors in the area related to gas. The timeline will note if there were any increases in complaints and how Colombia Gas responded the time of the first 911 calls, and the time that the pressure increase was noted on the controller’s console.

“We will develop a complete timeline of the events surrounding this disaster,” Sumwalt said.

The probable cause of the explosions will not be known for some time, but an “approximate cause” will be known sooner.

Investigators will also look at Colombia Gas’ pipeline integrity plan; all testing, failures, inspections, and repairs involving the pipes; the emergency response program; the gas company’s safety culture; and organizational factors that may have influenced the event.

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All 14 gas pressure regulators in the area, located in vaults underground, will be tested to make sure they are working properly.

Sumwalt said the investigation could take 12-24 months, but noted that there is no evidence that the explosions were caused by anything suspicious or intentional.

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Below is the full press conference:

Image Credit: Mike Carraggi/Patch