PUBLIC AWARENESS

While no other method of transporting natural gas and petroleum products is as safe as pipelines, you can help by:

• Becoming familiar with the operators of pipelines and pipeline facilities in your area and keeping the enclosed fact sheet for future reference;

• Understanding your responsibility to call 811 before you dig; 

• Keeping the pipeline right-of-way clear of obstacles such as shrubs and hunting blinds; and

• Reporting any suspicious activity or unauthorized excavation taking place near pipelines or facilities by calling 911 and the pipeline company.

You can avoid injury, damage to property and the environment, and utility service outages by making a free call to 811 (Blue Stakes of Utah) at least two business days prior to digging or excavating on your property.

Examples of activities that require a call to 811 include:

• Building a fence;

• Landscaping;

• Installing a pool; and

• Installing a sprinkler system.

Once our personnel have marked the lines, you can safely begin your dig.

Pipeline rights-of-way are corridors that are clear of trees, buildings, or other structures—except for the pipeline markers. Encroachments upon a pipeline right-of-way increase the chance of third-party damage to the pipeline, and inhibit our ability to perform right-of-way surveillance, routine maintenance, and required federal/state inspections. Keep trees, hunting blinds, shrubs, buildings, fences, structures, vehicles, and any other encroachments well away from the pipeline to promote pipeline integrity and safety.

Markers are located in the pipeline right-of-way and indicate the approximate location, but not the depth, of a buried pipeline. You’ll see markers at road crossings, fence lines, and road intersections, among other places. The markers state the type of product transported in the line, the name of the pipeline operator, and a telephone number where the operator can be reached in the event of an emergency.

From Left to Right:

• TriView™ Marker

• Dome Marker

• Flat Marker

• Round Marker

• Aerial Marker

• Casing Vent Markers

State laws require you to maintain minimum clearance, or tolerance zone, between the point of excavation and a marked pipeline. The tolerance zone is a defined horizontal space from the outside wall or edge of an underground line or pipe. For KODA Resources pipelines, this tolerance zone is 24 inches from the pipeline.

Even the most minor damage to a pipeline can have serious consequences. If you cause, witness, or suspect even minor damage to a pipeline or its protective coating:

• Evacuate the area;

• Call 911 and the pipeline operator immediately;

• Do not excavate further;

• Do not cover up or backfill;

• Do not inspect or investigate; and

• Do not attempt to move the equipment, even if it appears to be lodged.

DO:

• Abandon any equipment you are using.

• Immediately leave the area in an upwind direction if possible.

• Call 911 first and then one of the emergency numbers (on the pipeline markers and on the first page of this document) after you are in a safe location well away from the leak.

• If it is safe to do so, warn others against entering the leak area and/or creating ignition sparks.

DO NOT:

• Start an engine of any kind.

• Strike matches or create a flame of any kind.

• Use a telephone or cell phone, unless from a safe location upwind, well away from the location of the leak.

• Turn on or off any light switches, garage door openers or other electrical switches.

A TTY (Telephone Text), also called a TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf), is a special device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate by allowing them to type text messages.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that people with disabilities who use TTY or other devices have direct, equal access to emergency response services. In the event of an emergency, TTY users should call 911 directly.

Sight

Natural gas is colorless and nearly invisible to the eye. You can identify small leaks by looking for dying or discolored vegetation in a naturally green area.

Other ways to recognize a leak may include water bubbling up or standing in an unusual area, a mist or vapor cloud, a powerful fire or explosion with dense smoke plumes, or an area of petroleum-stained ground.

Smell

An unusual smell or odor will sometimes accompany pipeline leaks. Natural gas is colorless, tasteless, and odorless unless odorants, such as Mercaptan, are added. 

Sound

The sound of a pipeline leak can range from a quiet hissing to a loud roar, depending on the size and nature of the leak.

We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, the general public, and the environment. In an emergency, our first priority is to protect human life. Our second priority is to protect the environment and property, and our third priority is maintaining or restoring operations.

Upon notification of an incident or leak, we immediately dispatch trained personnel to assist emergency responders. We have emergency shutdown systems that can isolate anomalies anywhere in our system quickly and safely. 

We invest significant time and capital maintaining the quality and integrity of our pipeline systems. Highly trained and experienced personnel monitor our pipelines using sophisticated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, so we have real-time information regarding the safety and integrity of our pipeline.

We patrol our pipelines by foot, vehicle, aircraft, and satellite to ensure safety and identify potential concerns as soon as possible. As part of our ongoing education efforts, we work with first responders using tools such as tabletop exercises and hands on mock drills to ensure they are familiar with our assets and know what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency. In addition, KODA Resources is an active member of the Pipeline Association for Public Awareness (PAPA), and we work together to educate stakeholders on pipeline safety and promote safe excavation.

To report a building where people work or live or an outdoor area where people congregate, like a baseball field or bus stop, that you believe could be within 1/8 of a mile of a KODA Resources pipeline, call us at (720) 500-0160 or request more information by completing our Public Awareness Contact Form.