Crews hustle to build bypass around exposed gas line
TOUTLE RIVER, Wash. - Crews worked feverishly over the weekend to get a natural gas pipe diversion in place after floodwaters eroded away the ground cover protecting a natural gas main running from Canada to the United States.
Heavy flooding eroded away silt and ash left over from the 1981 eruption of Mount St. Helens that had covered the 30-inch high-pressure pipeline running from Canada and into Washington.
The pipeline supplies natural gas to five Western states, including Washington and Oregon, and part of it runs along the Toutle River in Washington.
Floodwaters eroded away 100 feet of Toutle River riverbank, exposing a 400-foot length of the high-pressure to the elements and debris coming down the flood-swollen river.
Construction crews swung into action after the floodwaters subsided enough to begin emergency work on a half-mile long bypass pipeline. Additionally, the pressure in the main line has been reduced by half.
No leaks or damage have been reported along the main pipeline. Officials say the bypass line is being hastily build to head off any problems or service stoppages along the main line.
The main pipeline will then be moved in a project expected to take two years to complete.
In 1997, a pipeline rupture near Kalama, Washington, resulted in huge explosions and extensive damage to the line. The incident was blamed on shifting ground.
No interruptions in natural gas services are expected, but crews are working Sunday while keeping an eye on a strong storm expected to arrive Sunday evening.
Heavy flooding eroded away silt and ash left over from the 1981 eruption of Mount St. Helens that had covered the 30-inch high-pressure pipeline running from Canada and into Washington.
The pipeline supplies natural gas to five Western states, including Washington and Oregon, and part of it runs along the Toutle River in Washington.
Floodwaters eroded away 100 feet of Toutle River riverbank, exposing a 400-foot length of the high-pressure to the elements and debris coming down the flood-swollen river.
Construction crews swung into action after the floodwaters subsided enough to begin emergency work on a half-mile long bypass pipeline. Additionally, the pressure in the main line has been reduced by half.
No leaks or damage have been reported along the main pipeline. Officials say the bypass line is being hastily build to head off any problems or service stoppages along the main line.
The main pipeline will then be moved in a project expected to take two years to complete.
In 1997, a pipeline rupture near Kalama, Washington, resulted in huge explosions and extensive damage to the line. The incident was blamed on shifting ground.
No interruptions in natural gas services are expected, but crews are working Sunday while keeping an eye on a strong storm expected to arrive Sunday evening.