Submerged, out-of-service PG&E pipe causes California boat crash, deputies say
San Joaquin County authorities are warning boaters in the California Delta to be careful after an out-of-service PG&E gas pipe caused a boat crash over the weekend.
The boating accident happened Sunday near Mildred Island and Empire Cut when a vessel’s propulsion gear was damaged after “striking a pipe that was blocking the southern entrance to Mildred Island,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
“We ask that boaters in the area use extreme caution,” deputies advised. “Please share with boaters that you may know.”
Investigators said that when they responded to the crash, they discovered “several hundred feet of a partially submerged steel pipe. The pipe is approximately 24 inches in diameter and very hard to see. It was determined that the gas pipe belongs to PG&E and is out of service.”
Deputies said the U.S. Coast Guard will work with the Northern California utility company “to mitigate this hazard.”
PG&E spokesperson Brandi Merlo said in an email to McClatchy news group on Monday that the “pipeline was decommissioned in the 1990s with the intent of leaving the pipe in place anchored to the bottom of the delta. Over time, conditions have changed and caused the pipe to migrate to the top of the water.”
Merlo said PG&E workers were “in the area installing buoys to warn boaters of the hazard as part of a short-term solution” on Monday afternoon.
“PG&E will continue to work with the Coast Guard regarding additional measures to make the area safe including additional signage,” Merlo said. “PG&E is evaluating a variety of long-term solutions to ensure the safety of boaters in the area.”
The San Francisco-based utility, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings, has faced heightened scrutiny in recent years after its equipment has been implicated in sparking deadly wildfires.
The Sheriff’s Office shared photos of the pipe on Facebook, as well as a map showing its location in the area.
The Facebook post has been shared hundreds of times as of Monday afternoon.
This story was originally published November 4, 2019 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Submerged, out-of-service PG&E pipe causes California boat crash, deputies say."
