PG&E has made public a long awaited list of California's top 100 riskiest pipelines, following that massive explosion in San Bruno. Two of those pipelines are located in Bakersfield.
PG&E says the list is used by its engineers to monitor pipes that may need to be fixed down the road and to assess any immediate threats. But after the San Bruno incident, the pressure is on the utility to be more transparent on how it monitors its pipelines.
PG&E is keeping a close eye on construction going on at Buena Vista and Pacheco roads in Southwest Bakersfield. That is because there is is a pipeline located near workers that is on the utility's top 100 list. Denny Boyles, the Kern County Spokesperson for PG&E says, "We believe the highest risk of potential damage for that segment of pipeline comes from someone else digging into it, with you know a piece of farm equipment, a piece of construction equipment, anything like that."
PG&E says it is routine to put a pipeline on the watch list when there a construction project nearby. The pipelines are clearly marked. Still, some residents can't help but be nervous after the recent pipeline explosion in San Bruno. Brooke Hanson says, "Especially after what happened up north, you know that raises a lot of concerns and I'm really worried about it. My children play in the front yard all the time." Bob Vess notes, "It's kind of scary. I wouldn't think it would be here because this is a very new neighborhood."
The second pipeline on the list is below South Union avenue between Watts drive and 3rd street. PG&E says it is being watched because of the potential for corrosion. But the utility is telling residents not to worry. "None of these segments represent an immediate threat to anyone. To be candid, I have family members who live very close to the buena vista section and I am no more concerned about that section than any other section," says Boyles.
But the San Bruno pipeline was not on PG&E's list, so how reliable is the company's monitoring program? The company says it will re-evaluate it once they know what caused the explosion in San Bruno.
If you live in one of these areas and want to know how close your home is to the pipeline, PG&E has set up a hotline to answer your questions. The number to call is 1-888-743-74-31. To learn more about the list of pipelines released by PG&E, go to
http://www.pge.com/myhome/customerservice/response/pipelineplanning/
