HILLSBOROUGH: Companies say gas lines are safe

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
   The companies managing each of the pipelines running through Hillsborough say the lines are checked regularly for leaks and other safety issues, according to reports company representatives made at the Sept. 28 Township Committee meeting.
   The pipelines, owned by Transcontinental Gas Pipelines, of Houston, Transcontinental Gas Pipelines, of Macungie, Pa., and Spectra Energy, also of Houston, transport natural gas in the case of Buckeye Partners and Spectra Energy, and liquid petroleum, in the case of Buckeye Partners LP.
   Spectra Energy operates two pipelines that run through Hillsborough, with one running for 40 miles through Hillsborough and the second running just a mile through town. The Transcontinental Gas Pipeline runs a 36-inch diameter pipeline for four miles in town, and a 42-inch diameter line for about four-and-a-half miles. Buckeye Partners pipelines run for 11 miles in Hillsborough, with one pipeline transporting 256,00 gallons of liquid petroleum per hour, and the second transporting 382,000 gallons of liquid per hour.
   Most of the maintenance on the various lines is consistent company to company, as the representatives — which include operations managers, and pipeline technicians — noted during the presentations. The lines are regularly monitored by foot patrols and air patrols to spot any leaks in the lines. Leak indicators would include dead or dying vegetation, a hiss or roaring sound around the pipes, and a gas or petroleum odor, representatives said.
   Before laying the pipelines, the companies run electrical current through the pipes to prevent corrosion, a technique called cathodic protection. The cathodic protection allows the steel to maintain its strength — a concern of Mayor Frank DelCore, who asked about it at the meeting.
   ”Steel, if it has that cathodic protection, does not lose its strength over time,” Rob Shoaf, of Transcontinental Gas, said in response to the questions. “We have a minimum strength that we can use for our pipes.”
   The companies use magnetic readings from a device called a Smart Pig to detect metal loss along the pipelines, representatives said. The Smart Pig device is sent down the lines to detect dents, corrosion, scratches, or other damage to the pipes.
   The Smart Pigs run through the pipes every three years in the case of gas lines, and every five years in the case of liquid petroleum lines.
   Several residents at the meeting, including Terry McSweeney, of Ernest Drive, and James Haba, of East Mountain Road, wanted to know the cause of the San Bruno, Calif., explosion and whether a similar incident could occur in Hillsborough.
   While reports on the California incident have not been released, the representatives could not comment on the cause of the incident.
   ”I don’t know what they didn’t do or what caused it,” Mr. Shoaf said. “One advantage we have here is that we already performed the pipeline safety inspections. We’ve already gotten through Hillsborough Township with an enhanced integrity initiative.”
   ”As an industry, we don’t wait to have a problem,” Don Hargis, of Spectra Energy, said. “We look at the best practices and implement them as they make sense.”
   The tests indicate the lines in Hillsborough are safe, representatives said in response to another resident’s question about leaks.
   ”We have checks on pretty much a weekly basis to make sure there are no leaks,” Spectra Energy representatives said. “As long as you properly operate and maintain that pipeline, it will last forever.”