Officials express trust in Appomattox pipelines

APPOMATTOX — When the pipelines carrying natural gas through Appomattox County are returned to full service, Larry Hjalmarson claims he’ll be confident enough to stand on top of them.

Hjalmarson, vice president of operations for Williams company, told the crowd that gathered in Appomattox County High School’s auditorium Tuesday that he has faith in the lines, the inspections done and his people.

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“I will be willing to stand on the pipeline,” he said, but did not specify when the pipes would return to full service.

“We not only shook your house but we shook your confidence,” he added.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Many residents who ran from their homes as an explosion destroyed two houses, damaged at least six others and injured five people did not share Hjalmarson’s confidence in those pipelines.

Faye Doss said she is afraid that something may happen again and it keeps her up at night.

She was sitting in her recliner watching television when the first of two blasts happened. The first one threw dirt, rocks and debris into the air and almost knocked her from her chair. She grabbed her car keys and ran as the second explosion sent a fireball into the air.

“It was horrific,” she said. “If it weren’t for God, we would have all been gone.”

Three pipelines run side-by-side as they travel through Appomattox County in the area of Kelly Creek and Oakville roads.

Two of those pipelines are still pumping gas north to New York.

The third, situated in the middle, is 47 feet from one pipe and 25 feet from the other. It failed early Sunday, sparking an explosion that left an almost 50-foot crater and ignited the gas into a giant fireball.

The two pipelines that are still operating are what concerned many residents who came to the meeting to question Williams representatives about the pipes’ safety.

Hjalmarson said the three lines typically run at 800 pounds per square inch of pressure. The two that are still in operation are currently running at less than 700. Those pipes will not be returned to full service until they are dug out of the ground and inspected for damage, he said.

Hjalmarson said there is no reason to be concerned with the other two pipelines.

“We have crews out there working,” Hjalmarson said. “I wouldn’t have allowed that if there had been any concern over its safety.”

Williams company, based in Tulsa, Okla., handles everything from the extraction to the processing and distribution of natural gas. The Transco Pipeline, which includes the lines that run through Appomattox, covers 10,500 miles from Texas to New York. It is one of three pipelines that the company operates and by far the largest.

“I already knew what could happen if something goes wrong,” he said. “That is what drives me every day. I don’t want you worried about this pipeline. I really don’t. I want you to have confidence.”