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Home My WebLink AboutI202617 LOC Idaho Public Utilities Commission Brad Little,Governor P.O. Box 83720,Boise,ID 83720.0074 Edward Lodge,President John R.Hammond,Jr.,Commissioner Dayn Hardie,Commissioner Letter of Concern September 2, 2026 Report# I202617 Pat Darras—Vice President of Engineering & Operations Services Intermountain Gas Company 400 N 41h St. Bismarck, ND 58501 Dear Mr. Pat Darras: On September 1,the Idaho Public Utilities Commission("Commission"),Pipeline Safety Division ("Staff'), conducted a construction inspection in the Element Ridge Subdivision and Verbena Ranch Subdivision in Caldwell, Idaho of the Nampa District of Intermountain Gas Company ("IGC")pursuant to Chapter 601 of Title 49, United States Code. As a result of the inspection, it appears there are area(s) of concern that do not fully meet the intent of the pipeline safety regulations Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 192 for calendar year 2026. The item(s) listed below are of concern: 1. 49 CFR 4192.605 Procedural manual for operations, maintenance, and emergencies. General. Each operator shall prepare and follow for each pipeline, a manual of written procedures for conducting operations and maintenance activities and for emergency response. For transmission lines, the manual must also include procedures for handling abnormal operations. This manual must be reviewed and updated by the operator at intervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once each calendar year. This manual must be prepared before operations of a pipeline system commence. Appropriate parts of the manual must be kept at locations where operations and maintenance activities are conducted. 2. 49 CFR .192.756 Joining plastic pipe by heat fusion equipment maintenance and calibration. Each operator must maintain equipment used in joining plastic pipe in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended practices or with written procedures that have been proven by test and experience to produce acceptable joints. IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 1 of 6 3. OPS 307 Polyethylene (PE) Main and Service Construction 4. Cleaning 4.1 Cleaning shall be performed per the manufacturer's instructions, or when butt fusing per TR-33 Appendix A. 5.11 Butt fusions shall be made in accordance with TR-33 Appendix A. NOTE: TR-33 was used to develop ASTM 2620-19, making the level of safety in TR-33 equivalent to that of ASTM 2620-19. 7. Care and Maintenance of Tools 7.1. Equipment used in joining PE pipe shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended practices or procedures. 7.2. Heat fusion equipment shall be free of rust, corrosion, dirt, and/or molten plastic residue that can impair the quality of fusion joints. 7.3. After each use, remove melt residue from the heater surface with a soft wooden stick or by wiping with a clean dry, lint-free, non-synthetic cloth such as cotton or paper towel. 4. TR-33 (2012 edition) - Generic Butt Fusion Joining Procedure for Field Joining of Polyethylene Pipe 4.0 MELT—Heating tools that simultaneously heat both pipe ends are used to accomplish this operation. These heating tools are normally furnished with thermometers to measure internal heater temperature so the operator can monitor the temperature before each joint is made. However, the thermometer can be used only as a general indicator because there is some heat loss from internal to external surfaces, depending on factors such as ambient temperatures and wind conditions. A pyrometer or other surface temperature-measuring device should be used before the first joint of the day is made and periodically throughout the day to insure proper temperature of the heating tool face that contacts the pipe or fitting ends. Additionally,heating tools are usually equipped with suspension and alignment guides that center them on the pipe ends. The heater faces that come into contact with the pipe should be clean, oil-free and coated with a nonstick coating as recommended by the manufacturer to prevent molten plastic from sticking to the heater surfaces. Remaining molten plastic can interfere with fusion quality and must be removed according to the tool manufacturer's instructions. Never use chemical cleaners or solvents to clean heating tool surfaces. 7.0 VISUAL INSPECTION Visually inspect and compare the joint against the manufacturer's recommended appearance guidelines. Visually,the width of butt fusion beads should be approximately 2- 2 %Z times the bead height above the pipe and the beads should be rounded and uniformly sized all around the pipe circumference. The v-groove between the beads should not be deeper than half the bead height above the pipe surface. When butt fusing to molded fittings, the fitting-side bead may display shape irregularities such as minor indentations, deflections and non-uniform bead rollover from molded part cooling and knit lines. In such IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 2 of 6 cases, visual evaluation is based mainly on the size and shape of the pipe-side bead. (See Appendix D for bead configuration). Visually unacceptable joints should be cut out and re- fused using the correct procedure. (See manufacturer's visual inspection guidelines) 5. McElrov Operator's Manual—MC Fusion Machine Clean Heater Surfaces per/ The heater mutt be kop!dean and free of any plastic build-up, cowaminahon and:cra'ches q Before each fusion is made,the surface of the heater must be Rg wiped with a clean,non-synthetic cloth. i Troutt9 4•10 1 LC Fusion Machine Checklist Item to Check satisfactory Needs Repair Comments Repair UNIT Machine is clean Clamp knob bearings lubricated and move freely Movable jaw moves freely Locking cam work:properly Guide rods are not damaged Clamping jaw and insert grooves are clean All nuts and bohs are tight FACER Check for play in blade holder Facer does not wobble when tapped between jaws Blades are in good condition Latch handle locks onto guide rod freely Facer moves on guide rods without excessive force Facer is clean and free of grease on blade holder surface HEATER Heater surface is clean and in good condition Thermometer is in good working order Surface temperature checked with pyrometer Findinjz(s): • Staff observed completed fusions that had been made using damaged and dirty heating elements. Contractor employees stopped fusion when questioned about maintenance of their fusion equipment. There were three dirty/damaged heating elements. These were found at the Element Ridge location (WO12720022). • In the Verbena Ranch location staff identified several unsatisfactory fusions in a staging area which appeared to be prefab work for future installation. IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 3 of 6 Reference Photos 0247-SWM>F 43-36.29-K 118141'43W:13ft•2565ft 0236'SWfT)*49-3679"N,116'41'43"Wm13t1♦2558ft L+ Contaminated Iron 3/" in use side A Contaminated Iron 3/" in use Side B 0324'NW J) •43.36'29'N,115'41'43'W x9ft•2552ft 0311'NW M 43'36?rN,116'41'43"W t9ff♦2553ft r ' • `J 11' o� Gouged Sp are 3/" iron side A Gouged S are 3/" iron side B 047°NEM 043°36'29"N,116'41'43"W±9ft♦2553ft 047"NEM 43"36'28'N,116'41'43'W t111ft♦2578f1 7•' ' w ixtr K • • Damaged 4" iron side A Damaged 4" iron side B IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 4 of 6 Reference Photos 0 41-NE 1`I 0 43'36'44'N,116.41'35'W-16t1♦254911 0 86'E(T) 0 43'36'44'N,116'41'35W t16ft♦2540ft F. ?=i i f i Fusion 1 Fusion 2 O 260'W(n 43'36'44"N,116'41'35"Wt16ft•2549ft i DC#Reference IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 5 of 6 REQUESTED ACTIONS The above-mentioned item(s) were brought to the attention of IGC compliance representatives during the inspection. We request that you review these matter(s) and respond in writing within 30 days regarding the above issue(s) including any planned corrective actions. If you have any questions concerning this notice, please contact me at(208) 334-0333. All written responses should be addressed to me at: 11331 W Chinden Blvd, Ste 201-A,Boise, ID 83714 or you can fax your response to (208) 334-3762. Because of the good faith that you have exhibited up to this time, we expect that you will take action to bring your program into compliance with pipeline safety regulations. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your effort to promote pipeline safety. Sincerely, Jeff Brooks Pipeline Safety, Program Manager Idaho Public Utilities Commission 11331 W.Chinden Blvd.Ste 201-A Boise ID 83714 Telephone:(208)334-0300 Facsimile:(208)334-3762 IGC LETTER OF CONCERN— Page 6 of 6