Two pipelines facing DV

Gas transmission to neighbor both Westfall and new DVES

WESTFALL — A pipeline explosion near the new Delaware Valley Elementary School — "Is it likely? No... but maybe you ought to think about it," Dr. Steven Vitale told Delaware Valley School Board members on March 29.

Vitale, an engineer and Dingmans Ferry resident who worked in the pipeline industry for 32 years and now is an industry consultant spoke before the board's facilities committee. The committee held a special pipeline workshop devoted to safety concerns in building the new Delaware Valley Elementary School within what Vitale said was a high risk zone in the event of a pipeline rupture and explosion.

The committee also heard from state, federal pipeline safety administrators and Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials.

At its closest point the new school would, as things stand, be less than 500 feet away from the 24", Class 1 transmission pipeline that was installed in 1956.

After delivering a blizzard of various pipe specifications, pressure tolerances, explosion blast radius, injury, damage and fatality data on prior incidents, Vitale recommended a 1,500 foot buffer, which he said was law for school construction in California.

On the other hand, Alex Dankanich of the federal Pipeline and Hazard Materials Safety Administration said that pipeline incidents have decreased by 60 percent since 1988. "It's the safest form of transportation, compared to highway, rail, ship or airplane," he said.

In addition, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Operations Supervisor Steve Watkins said TGP has committed to work with the district and to replace 1,600 to 1,800 feet of the old pipe, eastbound to the base of the slope near the Delaware River, with the strongest, Class 3 pipe, which has the best safety record.

John Wroblewski wanted to know the real risk likelihood to the property. He felt the odds of accident were considerably longer than those of other daily activities. "The National Safety Council says you have one in 81 chance of being killed every time you get into a car, yet we put our children in cars every day. I need some numbers."

A 2004 industry white paper claimed the likelihood of any given American dying from a gas transmission pipeline failure is 1 in 137,500,000*.

Jack Fisher noted that if the district were to build on Westfall campus, the TGP Northeast Upgrade project - a new 30" pipeline project awaiting final federal approvals - would create the same "zone of death" problem, with its crossing proximity to the southern boundary of the campus.

TGP was forced to make a seven-mile northerly dog-leg from its planned route, to the area near the Westfall campus, when the National Park Service would not approve a crossing of park lands to the south.

"Then we have two problems. One at DVES and one near here," Wroblewski said.

However Vitale said a "win-win" situation is still possible, prior to the beginning of construction on the Northeast Upgrade, through negotiation. If a negotiated agreement could be reached a viable crossing could be made south of the new DVES property, which could provide a conduit for both the new pipeline and re-direction of existing line on the DVES site. "Before they start digging, you can negotiate the problem away," Vitale said.

"The real problem is the NPS," Bill Greenlaw said. "Congress would have to override (Superintendent John) Donovan," he said.

Vitale said the district has four options: move the school, negotiate a move of the pipeline, negotiate a low pressure volume on the DVES line, or accept the risk and do nothing. He recommended moving the school.

* http://www.p-pic.com/files/whitepapers/paper_riskofapipeline.pdf

— David Hulse

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