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No leaks found in PG&E gas line

by Daniel DeBolt

PG&E workers found no leaks in 1.5 miles of gas pipeline subjected to eight hours of pressure testing in Mountain View on Monday.

PG&E spokesperson Brittany Chord said the tests were "successful" and no leaks were found. The line tested is called line 132a and runs from Shoreline Golf Links to Crittenden Middle School, bridging two larger lines, 101 and 132.

At a site behind Shoreline Amphitheatre, PG&E workers pumped 175,000 gallons of charcoal-filtered water into the 24-inch diameter pipe. For eight hours workers watched pressure gauges for signs of leakage as the pipe was subjected to 600 pounds per square inch (psi). The pipe normally holds 400 psi, Chord said.

PG&E had new sections of pipe on hand in case a section burst or sprang a leak. Sections of the pipe date back to 1944, Chord said, while other sections were replaced in the 1990s.

Chord said workers would remain in the area through the next week. Antioch will be the second city to see a gas line tested this way, followed by South San Francisco and San Bruno where line 132 burst in a catastrophic explosion last year.

Chord said Mountain View received the first test because PG&E stores many of the resources needed for the tests in the area.

It is not clear when Mountain View's section of line 132 would be tested, Chord said.