Primghar, Iowa — A broken gas main near Primghar could have ended a lot worse. That from Primghar Fire Chief Gary Lansink.
He says about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20th, a farmer was out spraying his field with a Hi-Boy-type sprayer, about four miles south and four and a half miles east of Primghar on 430th Street, when he struck a natural gas pipeline riser valve with the boom of the sprayer and broke the pipe. He says the farmer quickly left the area and called 911.
Lansink says the fire department responded and blocked that road for a mile east and west, since the riser valve where the pipe comes out of the ground for a bit was within 200 feet of the road. He says that even from a half a mile away, the gas escaping the 6-inch pipe made a very loud sound. According to Lansink, Northern Natural Gas responded to the scene. He says that according to Northern Natural Gas officials, the natural gas in the loop that was struck is pressurized at 650 pounds per square inch.
Lansink says that also responding to the scene were the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office and O’Brien County Emergency Management Director Jerad Johnson. He says the Sheriff’s Office was able to block the road, and so the fire trucks left at about 1:15 p.m. He says by 1:45 p.m., Northern Natural Gas was able to shut off that leg of the loop and re-route the gas so repairs could be made. The gas company reports that they estimated that seven million cubic feet of natural gas was released.
Chief Lansink says he was told that the pipeline loop feeds Primghar, Archer, and Sheldon, but Sheldon was able to keep gas service through the other side of the loop.
He says no evacuations were needed, and by 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the line was back in service.
