NEWPORT — A stream of water carrying 165 pounds per square inch of force actually bored a hole into an 8-inch natural gas line under the Newport Shopping Center parking lot in the early morning Thursday.

        And the same thing could happen virtually anywhere in Greater Cincinnati.

Water and sand gush from a gas main on Monmouth Street near 12th Street in Newport as Cinergy worker Marc King uses a high-pressure air hose to clear debris from an access drain to the main. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        The water spewed from a fracture in an 8-inch cast-iron water main, eventually piercing the gas line and forcing water and mud into much of the gas system. The result was some 5,000 Cinergy customers without gas for furnaces, hot water heaters and stoves for up to six days.

        Cinergy spokesman Steve Brash said Friday the water pressure was so intense as it struck the tar-coated steel gas main about a foot away that “it was like a drill. It cut a nice, neat 3-inch hole in the gas main.”

        Mr. Brash said the proximity of the gas main and water main at the shopping center was not unusual, although generally contractors attempt to install utility lines a little farther apart than the approximately 12 inches of space that exists there.

        Cincinnati Water Works Director David Rager agreed that while what happened in Newport was rare, the possibility of it happening again on either side of the Ohio River can't be denied.

        “I can't think of a time in the last 25 years that I've been involved in city government that this kind of thing happened in Cincinnati,” Mr. Rager said. “But it's certainly not uncommon to have utility lines located close to each other.

        “The normal practice is, where possible, you separate the utilities. You don't want electric lines next to gas lines, and you don't want water lines close to sewer lines. But especially with older areas, you have most utilities in the same area, usually some a little deeper than others. You have just so much space to install all utilities, so they often all go in the same trench during construction.”

        The gas main and water main at the shopping center were installed in 1955 when the center was developed.

        Newport Water Works Director Frank Peluso said the 165 psi coming from the ruptured water main would certainly be enough to cut into the gas main.

        It was not known exactly how long water from the main was directed at the gas line before it was detected about 3:30 a.m. Thursday, or exactly what caused the water main to fail. At about 45 years old, the water line is relatively new in the 125-year-old city water system.

        Mr. Brash emphasized that inspection of the gas main showed that it was in excellent condition and did not have any faults or ruptures other than that caused by the jet of water.

        Cinergy officials said they had 40 to 50 gas workers from neighboring systems helping the approximately 300 Cinergy workers laboring around the clock to clear the gas lines and put all Newport customers back on line.
       

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