Mountain Valley Pipeline faced rupture during hydrostatic testing: DEQ report

An apparent rupture during hydrostatic testing of the Mountain Valley Pipeline May 1 could increase the pressures to allow more time for scrutiny of the 304-mile, 2 Bcf/d natural gas project as it seeks regulatory signoff by May 23 to start service.

According to a report by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, a "rupture of a section of pipe during hydrostatic testing" on the pipeline along Bent Mountain the morning of May 1 was the origin of the sediment-laden water reported by a landowner.

The incident occurred as Mountain Valley has been working to complete construction and testing, and satisfy safety requirements ahead of its targeted start of the pipeline, which will add an outlet for Appalachian Basin gas supplies.

Hydrostatic testing is routinely used to test integrity of pipelines prior to a pipeline entering service using pressurized water or other liquid to check for defects.

According to the DEQ's website, the state agency investigated a complaint from a landowner in Bent Mountain who reported "milky, muddy water" filling a stream and running through her pasture during a period of hydrostatic testing when it was not raining.

The DEQ reported in the now-closed incident that "inspectors observed the release had overwhelmed some [erosions control devices] and caused sediment deposition on and off the [right-of-way] immediately below the site of the rupture as well as in a downstream wetland."

According to the DEQ, stream channels later appeared clear, as the release of water diminished, and on May 2 Mountain Valley reconstructed damaged erosion control devices and removed sediment deposited on and off the area of disturbance and in a wetland.

Evaluating cause

Mountain Valley spokeswoman Natalie Cox said the pipeline developer "reported a water release" during standard hydrostatic testing on the mainline pipe near Route 221 near Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia.

"An evaluation is underway to determine the cause of the hydrotest disruption," she said in a statement, adding the damaged section of pipe would be removed and replaced with a new section. After all required inspections, testing for the section of the project would resume, she said.

Mountain Valley has resumed hydrotesting in other areas of the project, Cox said.

"Importantly, the disruption of this one hydrotest does, in fact, demonstrate that the testing process is working as designed and intended," Cox said in an email May 6. Mountain Valley will coordinate with state and federal regulators to address any compliance areas that are identified, she said.

Resident, nonprofit advocacy

Even prior to the incident, multiple residents near the pipeline route and a coalition of nonprofit groups were urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to hold off on authorizing the start of service in May. Many of the commenters insisted it was premature to grant approval because Mountain Valley had yet to complete requirements of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's October 3, 2023 consent order, which followed a finding that conditions may pose a safety risk.

"We are aware of the situation and are continuing to obtain additional information," said FERC spokeswoman Celeste Miller, regarding the testing incident.

PHMSA did not immediately comment.

In light of the hydrostatic testing incident, some non-profit groups were readying additional comments to FERC, reaching out to legislators and contacting PHMSA, which plays the lead role in overseeing safety requirements.

After years of delays to construction, Mountain Valley on April 22 told FERC that it expected the project facilities to be ready for service in May, and it sought regulator's authorization for the start no later than May 23. In its earnings release on April 30, Mountain Valley said it expected to complete construction and final commissioning activities on or about May 31. About 35 miles of hydrostatic testing remained, it said then.

The nonprofit group Pipeline Safety Trust said it has asked PHMSA if the recent hydrostatic test failure had been shared with FERC, so that the agency has the information when it decides on the in-service request.

"A failure during a hydrotest generally indicates that a component of the installed pipe was weak or corrupted in some way," said Kenneth Clarkson, communications director of Pipeline Safety Trust.

"While it is positive that the inadequacy was identified before the Mountain Valley Pipeline was filled with natural gas, it is nevertheless concerning given the explosive risk of such a large-diameter, high-pressure gas pipeline," he said, adding it was too early to tell whether this was a sign of a larger problem on the pipeline or an isolated point of weakness that has been found and replaced.

Some landowners and environmental advocates complained about a lack of transparency.

Grace Terry, a Bent Mountain resident who said she snapped a picture of a damaged pipe leaving the area, said it raises the level of concern about safety when residents do not believe the pipeline company is being "up front" with them.

"It's not a water disruption. It's a pipe failure. Call it that," Terry said in an interview May 6.

Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition, said it underscores a problem over the last 10 years in which communities feel they are the last to know and lack access to inspection reports and detailed information related to safety matters.