Gas line fear grows

Martha Tropea, Daily News
Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007
Changes to the way contractors locate natural gas lines on Vancouver Island could cause far more devastation than the recent geyser of crude oil that soaked a Burnaby neighbourhood on Tuesday, according to Nanaimo city Coun. Merv Unger.
Since April 2, Terasen Gas stopped gas line locator services on the Island, passing the responsibility onto municipalities and individual contractors.
Now builders who need to find out where underground gas lines are located will be armed with a map drawn up by the utility company. Previously, a Terasen employee would go to the site and mark the line for them.
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The practice is used on the Lower Mainland, but Unger said the unreliability of maps is a disaster in the making. "We're playing with an explosive substance here," Unger said.
"If maps that are provided are unreliable it is very, very dangerous for all of the communities from Victoria all the way up to Campbell River."
Tuesday's oil spill is proof of that danger, Unger said.
The road crew that ruptured the oil pipeline said it was improperly marked. The company that owns the pipeline, Kinder Morgan, however, has blamed the crew for the rupture.
Since Terasen's policy came into effect three months ago, Nanaimo contractors have hit two natural gas lines, prompting immediate evacuations of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
City of Nanaimo manager of engineering construction Steve Ricketts said the B.C. Safety Authority confirmed one accident was a result of inadequate map information. Ricketts is still waiting to hear back from the B.C. Safety Authority about the second gas line rupture, though he suspects it was also a mapping error.
Less than 1% of all gas line hits are due to inaccurate maps, said Terasen Gas communication manager Joyce Wagenaar. In most cases, she said, they are caused by faulty excavation.
If someone is uncertain, they can call the company and a technician will coach them through the process.
If they still question what the maps say, Terasen will send someone to mark the pipeline.
Terasen always sends an employee to mark transmission lines in B.C., Wagenaar said.
That's not good enough, according to Unger, who wants the provincial government to step in and force Terasen to provide the service in every case.
"We are playing with something very serious here," he said. "Thankfully there have not been disastrous consequences to date. We can't keep relying on luck. Natural gas is much more volatile than the crude oil which spilled in Burnaby, with a much greater risk of explosion."
MTropea@nanaimodailynews.com
250-729-4255