Natural gas again flows to Castle Rock residents
Thursday, November 16, 2006 6:59 AM PST
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleCastle Rock residents are again receiving natural gas from a nearby pipeline, thanks to the completion of a bypass around the 30-inch pipe exposed by Toutle River erosion.
The bypass -- a temporary fix while Williams Northwest Pipeline determine whether to move the pipeline -- was completed early Wednesday morning. A section of the pipeline was shut down during the work, so Castle Rock residents received service from a liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker truck while the welding work was completed.
Wednesday morning the pipeline -- including the bypass -- was put back to full pressure of 800 pounds per square inch. The LNG tanker then left for California, said Tom Wilson, general manager of Cascade Natural Gas. Williams transports the gas, but Cascade deals with distribution to customers.
The area in question is at the end of Toutle Park Road east of Interstate 5.
The pipeline runs along the Toutle's riverbed but was exposed when the bank gave way during last week's heavy storms. About 400 feet of the pipeline is exposed and will need to be replaced, said Williams spokeswoman Michele Swaner.
Officials are worried about continued instability along the bank, so they may permanently reroute the pipeline. The bypass will be used until a reroute plan is determined and the work completed.
Donna Mcdaniel wrote on Feb 22, 2008 4:48 AM:
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