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Sewer Excavation a Focus of San Bruno Blast Probe
LA Times
September 16, 2010
Federal investigators are examining whether work on a sewer near a natural gas pipeline in San Bruno two years ago played a role in the explosion and fire that leveled part of the Bay Area suburb last week in one of the nation's deadliest pipeline failures in nearly a generation.
When the city replaced the sewer line, it also enlarged its diameter and used a trenchless "pipe bursting" method known to carry risk. A 2001 study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the method could potentially disturb, displace and compact soils.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the pipeline owner, did not respond Wednesday to questions but previously told the San Jose Mercury News that it had inspected the gas line before and after the sewer construction.
Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the inquiry, said in an interview Wednesday that -- although the investigation is still in its early stages and no conclusions have been reached -- the sewer project is among the activities being scrutinized by investigators.
Read the full story on the LA Times website.