News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Workers are trying to pinpoint what caused the Enbridge Pipeline to suddenly burst in Smith County Saturday.
County Mayor Jeff Mason says he spoke with Enbridge and Spectra Energy officials earlier this week regarding the issue to see what can be done.
“They are working to find the cause. Their main focus right now is to find out what caused this and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Mason says. “I asked them how often does this occur, and they said that this was very rare and it just doesn’t happen. They’re working diligently to solve that problem, and as soon as they do come up with a solution, they would start repairing the existing pipeline.”
The rupture has caused issues for customers as far as the Lenoir City and Knoxville areas, affecting nearly 6,300 customers in East Tennessee.
Mason says the rupture could have been a lot worse for some Smith County residents who live near the pipeline.
“We’re blessed that there were no human or animal injuries that we know of, just property damage,” Mason says. “It took them about an hour to get all of the gas out of the line, because when it exploded, the line had to bleed off which is why it took so long. It’s a big hole in the ground. It could’ve been catastrophic for our community, but we were blessed the good Lord was shining down on us and there were no injuries.”
Approximately five families in the Pleasant Shade community of northern Smith County were evacuated from the area Saturday.
Livingston city officials met Wednesday evening to discuss the pipeline after their residents were affected by the rupture.
Mason says it’s unclear how long the investigation will take to determine a cause for the rupture. Crews working at the scene told Mason earlier this week pipe replacement would take two or three days once the investigation is complete.
