Opponents of a proposed 9-mile natural gas pipeline from Lake Stevens to Everett said a gas leak in the Getchell area last week has fueled fears about the new line.
The leak was "one more black mark. It makes people not trust the safety of these pipelines," said Michelle Conner, 42, of Lake Stevens. "The evacuation just makes me think how right we are to fight against this project."
The proposed line could run behind Conner’s 2.5-acre property. She lives about a mile away from where about 30 people were evacuated from their homes for 45 minutes Wednesday night.
The Getchell scare happened after a relief valve on a half-inch fuel line opened, producing a hissing sound and releasing natural gas, according to Williams Northwest Pipeline Co.
The company did not know how much gas was released. Company spokeswoman Bev Chipman said the amount was small.
The fuel line, about the size of a person’s little finger, was connected to a heater at a pipeline meter station, which monitors the amount of gas flowing through the line for billing. The natural gas pipeline itself did not rupture or leak, Chipman said.
The heater keeps the meter from freezing during cold weather, she said. If the meter stopped working, the pipeline wouldn’t be affected.
"Although there is no danger or impact to pipeline operations when a valve like this opens, we certainly understand that people were concerned," she said.
The company worked to reassure residents last week, and met with them to explain what occurred.
"There was absolutely no danger. There was no impact to the delivery of gas to our customers and nothing to do with the pipeline in the ground," Chipman said.
Fire officials said the evacuation was necessary to protect residents’ safety.
The valve was shut off while repair crews investigated what caused the overpressurization, Chipman said.
Williams wants to construct a 9-mile, 16-inch-diameter pipeline, known as the Everett Delta Project, that would connect to an existing pipeline in the Lake Stevens area and then run south and west to north Everett.
At its end, the pipeline would link with an existing gas line near downtown Everett’s waterfront. That line, among other things, supplies natural gas to the wood- and gas-fired cogeneration steam and power plant operated by the Kimberly-Clark paper mill.
Williams is building the pipeline for Puget Sound Energy, which wants the extra natural gas to maintain pressure in the company’s natural gas network and meet future demand in Snohomish County.
Construction is scheduled to start on the $32 million pipeline in June 2004, Chipman said. The company has acquired about a third of the property it needs to build the pipeline, she said.
Conner and other residents who are strongly opposed to the pipeline remain unconvinced that it will be safe.
Roland Van Haeften, 81, of Lake Stevens, said the proposed line is 39 feet away from his home. He and his wife worried that if the pipeline is built, they’ll be the ones evacuating someday.
"It’s of great concern to us," he said. "We thought here’s a good reason why the (line) shouldn’t go here."
Conner also said she was worried about her family.
"This is a warning for all of us," she said.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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