PG&E has started replacing pipeline in Roseville and will communicate regularly with city leaders and staff after a gas incident on Sept. 27.
At a meeting of the Roseville City Council on Wednesday, PG&E’s Mike Raab said the company has begun installing new pipe along Cirby Way to the intersection of Riverside Avenue. Raab, the gas superintendent for the area, said PG&E is still working to determine the root cause of the incident and will know more once the damaged pipe is removed and analyzed.
A leak in a 4-inch gas distribution line resulted in a fire in the street on Sept. 27. No one was injured.
Since the incident, PG&E has:
- Taken extra steps to ensure public safety, including daily leak surveys in the blocks closest to the site of the incident.
- Announced plans to install 400-feet of new plastic pipe.
- Notified nearby residents and businesses of work plans with telephone calls and door-to-door visits.
- Coordinated with the city on traffic and construction issues.
“We fully understand and acknowledge the impact the incident had on the community and take this incident extremely seriously,” said Brian Jensen, PG&E government relations representative for Roseville. “The maintenance and integrity of our infrastructure and public safety are PG&E’s top priorities.”
PG&E also has brought in nationally recognized plastic pipeline and pipeline integrity management experts to offer guidance in establishing a new Distribution Integrity Management Program to improve its infrastructure system-wide.
Jensen pledged steady communication with the city and its residents.
“We’re going to be talking a lot. You might get tired of seeing us,” he said, according to the Sacramento Bee. “Maintenance and integrity of our natural gas system, as well as maintaining public safety for our customers, is our No. 1 goal. That is what we’re about.”
PG&E is working to strengthen its partnership with Roseville’s public safety agencies in a number of ways. The Roseville Fire Department participated in a PG&E-sponsored First Responders Workshop in West Sacramento two weeks ago. Furthermore, PG&E plans to conduct a joint emergency response exercise with Roseville Police and Fire to be better prepared to respond to a gas emergency in the future.
Both Jensen and Raab thanked the City for its cooperation.