Residents of Holiday Lake Estates and many others in northeast
Morgan Hill were awakened by a loud, shrieking sound early
Wednesday morning. Some described it as an explosion while others
said it was similar to a jet engine. The sound was the result of a
PG
&
amp;E crews venting a natural gas line.
Residents of Holiday Lake Estates and many others in northeast Morgan Hill were awakened by a loud, shrieking sound early Wednesday morning. Some described it as an explosion while others said it was similar to a jet engine.
The sound was the result of a PG&E crews venting a natural gas line.
The venting occurred on Diana Avenue. The pipe is 34 inches in diameter.“Around 5 a.m. I heard a loud whooshing,” said Holiday LakeDrive resident Einar Anderson. “It sounded like pipes had burst and water was filling the house. I went around the property and heard it coming from further down Holiday Drive.”
According to Jeff Smith of PG&E, the venting was a part of a routine procedure to test the strength of the pipe in the area. The procedure is called hydro-test. Workers vent gas out of the pipe and fill it with water in order to test the pipe’s strength.
“We typically need to release pressure,” Smith said, “usually not for a long time. It is a fairly common occurrence.”
Pipes are regularly inspected visually, and when deemed necessary by PG&E, they perform the water test. It is not unusual, according to Smith to have the test done so early in the day.
Smith said residents should have been notified about the test. Three customers who had their gas shut off were notified, but the entire neighborhood should be told in the future, he added.
“We like to take a look at that in the future because of the disturbance,” Smith said.
Calls from concerned residents began to pour in to the Morgan Hill Police Department at 5:08 a.m. from concerned residents trying to find out information in what was occurring. According to Pam Henley, city public safety dispatcher, the callers were mainly trying to find information, but others had were worried that something bad had happened.
“Some people called asking if a water main was breaking or even if the dam was breaking,” she said. “People felt their family was in danger, but most were concerned about the noise.”
Many of those who heard the noise described it as standing next to a jet engine in operation.
Ed Rise, who lives in the area, thought it United Technology Company was doing some rocket motor testing.
“It started loud then slowly diminished,” he said. “I thought it was an aircraft flying low.”
Smith is not sure exactly why the test was done so early in the morning, but says is was probably to insure that commuters in the area were not affected.
“Typically the test is done outside of business hours to not disrupt traffic,” he said.
