90.1 FM San Luis Obispo | 91.7 FM Paso Robles | 91.1 FM Cayucos | 95.1 FM Lompoc | 90.9 FM Avila
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KNBX (north county KCBX) is currently off the air due to a PG&E service interruption.

New partnership to save thousands of gallons of water during gas pipeline inspections

SoCalGas Pipeline Safety: Hydrostatic Pressure Testing (Short Version) video

Natural gas pipelines are being tested, starting this week in Pismo Beach, using hydrostatic pressure testing.

A partnership between SoCalGas and the City of San Luis Obispo’s Water Resource Recovery Facility during the pipeline inspections is expected to save thousands of gallons of water.

“We fill a section of pipeline with water and we increase the pressure to a point that’s higher than the point that it normally operates to see if it has or causes any leaks with that additional pressure,” said Melissa Bailey, spokesperson for SoCalGas.

The process uses a lot of water and operators have historically used potable water. This is the first time the company has used recycled water for this sort of testing in San Luis Obispo County.

Bailey said having the water resource facility close is key.

"To be able to do this kind of testing and be able to use recycled water, we can’t always do that. It does take some extra logistics, some extra steps to coordinate, but we just feel it’s so very worth it to be able to save this much water,"said Bailey.

SoCalGas estimates it will end up saving nearly 250,000 gallons of potable water between the two tests. The second inspection is slated for later this month in Atascadero.

Related Content