A Kinder Morgan pipeline leaked tens of thousands of gallons of gasoline into a waterway in Walnut Creek, California, prompting concerns from residents worried about the company’s safety record.
Locals are mistrustful of the company after a 2004 explosion on the same line killed five construction workers and injured four others, the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out. In this case, area residents say they saw Kinder Morgan respond to the spill before they were informed of what was happening.
“They scared quite a few people on this street and no one was saying anything,” Matt Dooling told the San Francisco Chronicle. “This happened right where the 2004 explosion happened, so when they say that it’s not dangerous, we don’t really believe them.”
The story began Nov. 20 when company officials first noticed a pressure drop on part of the pipeline that runs between Concord and San Jose, The Mercury News reported. They shut down portions of the pipeline at the time, but then a worker reported the smell and appearance of gas in a drainage canal Dec. 2.
“We immediately shut down the pipeline and isolated the area,” Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Melissa Ruiz told The Mercury News.
Dooling told the San Francisco Chronicle that he observed Kinder Morgan workers examining the canal Dec. 2 while walking with his daughter, but that he and other neighbors were not given an explanation until days later.
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