Rainstorms exposed SLO County natural gas pipeline. When will crews finish repairs?
It could be weeks before SoCalGas crews can conduct permanent repairs on a natural gas pipeline exposed during the recent string of rainstorms that hit San Luis Obispo County, the utility company said Monday.
“The pipeline remains exposed after heavy rainfall and flows from Whale Rock Reservoir,” which recently reached full capacity and spilled for the first time in about 18 years, SoCalGas spokesperson Dan Guthrie told The Tribune by email Monday night.
A series of atmospheric river-fueled storms undermined and then exposed the pipe.
At first, SoCalGas emergency crews filled oceanfront parking areas at Studio Drive and 24th Street in Cayucos.
Operations have since expanded to the parking area near Villa Creek and along a stretch of Estero Bluffs State Park, both north of Cayucos.
After rains exposed the pipeline on March 9, SoCalGas spokesperson Brittany Paul said that SoCalGas crews had safely isolated the pipeline and were “mitigating service disruptions to customers by temporarily connecting the pipeline to other natural gas infrastructure.”
“We have access to mobile infrastructure that can supply natural gas to customers during incidents,” she said then.
According to Guthrie, SoCalGas has to wait until Whale Rock Reservoir stops spilling to proceed with permanent gasline repairs.
“Whale Rock operations expects it to take between two to three weeks for water to stop cresting the spillway,” Guthrie said.
“(SoCalGas) is in the process of preparing to install two temporary supports over the waterway that will secure the pipeline in place,” he explained, adding that “support installation is currently anticipated to be completed by mid-April.”
However, Guthrie cautioned, “If rain continues to be in the forecast, it may prolong this timeframe.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
