Update: Cleanup Activities Continue Stemming From Kinder Morgan Pipeline Leak In Walnut Creek

Press release from the City of Walnut Creek:

December 10, 2020

City of Walnut Creek staff met Thursday with staff from the agency overseeing the cleanup of an gas leak along a Kinder Morgan pipeline that runs through a flood control channel in the heart of the City. Authorities from the State's Office of Spill Prevention and Response (within the Department of Fish and Game) will be directing the operation, which is likely to take several weeks. As they develop specific remediation plans, they will share those with the City and the Contra Costa County Flood Control District, which operates the channel where much of the gas has settled. The City will share details as they become available to us. Work is expected to continue around the clock for the time being to extract the gas from the ground and the channel. Residents with questions can contact Ken Collins from Kinder Morgan at 614-394-3462.

Multiple regulatory agencies, along with the City of Walnut Creek, are monitoring the response. Work to repair the pipeline has been completed, and no new leaks have been detected. The State Fire Marshal has approved the pipeline to be put back into service. Remediation work continues, and the monitoring and cleanup work will take place around the clock. You may see lights and hear equipment noise in the nighttime.

Read the latest information that the City has received from the Office of Spill Prevention and Response here.

Kinder Morgan has released an updated statement, which can be read here.

More information will be shared with City residents as it becomes available. The City has been assured by multiple regulatory agencies that there is no public health danger due to the leak or the remediation.

This press release was produced by the City of Walnut Creek. The views expressed here are the author’s own.