Pipelines in Pleasanton and Tri Valley Region

In the wake of the Sept. 9 San Bruno disaster, in which a natural gas pipeline explosion killed eight and reduced a neighborhood to ashes, many Pleasanton and  Tri Valley residents have wondered where these high-pressure lines lie beneath their own cities.

Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Chief James Miguel appeared before Pleasanton's City Council on Sept. 21 to answer the public's most pressing questions. 

Fire department officials met with representatives from Pacific Gas and Electric, the company that owns the San Bruno lines, last week  to determine where these natural gas pipelines are located and whether they pose an immediate risk to residents.

"The message to our community is that until it's been determined why what happened to San Bruno happened  ... PG&E is paying a great deal of attention to the lines through the valley here, both in the communities of Pleasanton and Livemore and into Fremont," said Miguel.  "We are satisfied that they are in fact on top of it."

Location of Pipelines  

Sept. 20, PG&E released a list of the top 100 pipelines that it considered most at risk.

They are designated for further study and long-range planning because of potential third-party damage, potential for corrosion and risks from ground movements and earthquakes. The pipelines also are being studied because of age and the type of materials used in making them.

Among those on the list are two 30-inch high-pressure gas lines near Pleasanton. These lines, referred to by PG&E as Line 107 and Line 131, are the same size and made of the same material as the one that ruptured in San Bruno. 

Line 131 runs down Isabel Avenue and circumvents the Ruby Hills subdivision. Fire officials say they were assured the pipeline does not run underneath properties.

"[The line] runs around the Isabel bypass and tucks in just about the 3900 block of Ruby Hill and runs right around the fence line perimeter at East Gate and then exits into Pigeon Pass," Battalion  Chief Joe Rodondi said during the City Council presentation. 

Miguel said the area drawing most concern is around the East Gate location, where Line 131 meets with the second high-pressure gas line, Line 107.

In addition to the higher-pressure lines, smaller 12-inch pipelines are located around Pleasanton.

One PG&E line runs beneath the Tri Valley, through populated parts of Alamo. San Ramon and Pleasanton. The pressurized line meanders through Dublin and eventually goes east to Livermore on the south side of I-580.

A petroleum pipeline that is owned by Kinder-Morgan Energy Partners runs along the Iron Horse Trail, which spans Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon and Pleasanton. That line hits Valley and Bush, eventually heading  to Stanley Boulevard, west down First Street and then south to the I-680 corridor to San Jose. 

Miguel said PG&E continues to monitor all the pipelines.

Fire officials have asked PG&E representatives for follow-up information on the age and construction of the pipes. They've also requested information about the last time the company conducted an internal survey of the lines and what those results were.

The fire department expects answers to those inquiries this week. 

"We're checking it," said Miguel. "PG&E is being diligent but [San Bruno] was an isolated incident and until we know exactly what caused it, there's really no need to be alarmed."

Prevention and Preparation

Local fire officials say residents can call PG&E regarding problems and concerns about individual properties.

If a resident believes there is immediate danger and if they smell natural gas, the fastest way to get help is to call 911. Local firefighters are equipped with meters that measure gases. 

Miguel said the Fire Department trains regularly for natural-gas emergencies and works with PG&E on response protocols. In addition, the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department is part of the an Alameda County Mutual Aid system, which  dispatches agency representatives in case of an emergency. 

"I think we are equipped to set up command structure to get our hands around it," Miguel said. "The situation of that magnitude, there are a very few fire departments that would not need any help."

One crew from the department responded to the scene of the San Bruno disaster. 

Pipelines Across the Country

Despite the potential threat to public safety, it's tough to pin down an accurate map of these energy carriers, or to get reliable information about the age and condition of the 122,217 miles of fuel lines that, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, course through California.

Though federal agencies share the approximate location of the vast network of pipelines crisscrossing the nation through the online National Pipeline Mapping System,  specific data is kept under wraps in the name of national security. But public outcry and media scrutiny may change that, said city and regional planning expert John Radke, of UC Berkeley's Department of Landscape, Architecture and Environmental Planning.

"After San Bruno, I am sure that gas-line companies will have to disclose their locations," he wrote in an e-mail to San Ramon Patch this week. "This may have serious consequences for safety and the diminution of property values. Interesting times ahead."

For more accurate information on pipeline locations, you have to do a little research.

In Northern California, anyone who plans to excavate an area can call 811 to find out what company or public agency owns a pipeline on a given property.

USA North, the company that operates the alert service, says it is incomplete, in part because it gives information only about fuel lines on a specific property, but not ones that might run by it.

For the broader view, you have to go back to the national map, which doesn't show smaller pipelines.

PG&E customers can call the utility company to find out how close they live or work to a transmission line, but again the answer won't be exact. Callers will be referred back to the national mapping system.

At a glance

• National Pipeline Mapping System – www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer
• For information about whether there's a line near your home or workplace, call 800-743-5000.
• The nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust has put together an info page about the San Bruno explosion, which includes several helpful links and information about past pipeline explosions.
• Before you dig, call 811 or go to www.usanorth.org.
• To view text of the proposed "Strengthening Pipeline Safety and Enforcement Act of 2010," go to http://testimony.ost.dot.gov/final.
• PG&E just launched a program where customers can see if there are natural gas pipelines where they live.