Pipeline rupture near Pullman leaves 36,000 without natural gas
Natural gas customers on the Palouse and the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley lost service Wednesday after a pipeline was damaged near Pullman. This map shows the downstream lines that lost service. (Courtesy of Avista Utilities)
More than 36,000 homes, businesses and public facilities lost natural gas service Wednesday in southeast Washington and parts of Idaho following a rupture in a pipeline near Pullman.
School districts, government offices and businesses throughout the region remained closed without heat Thursday as Avista Utilities announced they would have to go meter-by-meter to restore gas service once the pipeline is repaired.
Williams Cos., which owns the pipeline servicing the area, wrote in a statement to Crosscut that a third party ruptured an underground line just north of Pullman on Wednesday. No injuries occurred. Williams stated it had a repair team on site and it expected to have the pipeline fixed by later today.
Avista called the service shutdown the largest natural gas outage in its history. Crews worked to manually turn off lines at each individual meter as part of purging the line. Avista expected its crews would start going back to restore service at individual meters on Friday and it would likely take the next three to five days to get to all customers.
“We know this incident has caused hardship for you and your families,” Avista wrote in a statement to customers, “and we are grateful for your patience as we work to restore your service.”
Restaurants throughout the area abruptly started closing their doors Wednesday evening when they lost natural gas for heating and cooking. Several school districts canceled classes and government agencies closed offices. The University of Idaho in Moscow canceled classes and non-essential services through Friday. Washington State University in Pullman announced it had switched to an alternative heat source and would operate as normal.