Pinch VFD warns of 'unusual sound' from natural gas pipeline 'blowdown' Monday: 'Don’t be alarmed'

A natural gas pipeline blowdown is seen at a site in Australia. The Pinch VFD said a blowdown on a local pipeline will begin 9 a.m. Monday.Photo bySemantic Scholar

PINCH, W.Va. -- If you hear an odd sound in Pinch on Monday, Oct. 14, everything’s most likely OK.

That’s the message volunteers with the Pinch Fire Department are sending to local residents.

“If an unusual sound is heard Monday morning, don't be alarmed,” a representative with the volunteer agency wrote on the department’s social media Friday afternoon.

The post’s author explained that TC Energy, a Canadian natural gas company with local pipelines, will perform a “blowdown” on the system at their Coco B Storage Project in Pinch on Monday.

“A blowdown is the act of releasing natural gas from the pipeline system so work can be done safely on the depressurized facilities,” fire officials wrote. “A loud roaring sound occurs when the natural gas is released.”

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pipeline blowdowns are routine operations in the natural gas industry. Blowdowns “allow operators to safely perform maintenance, inspections, construction, and emergency response,” the EPA notes on its website.

The Pinch VFD explained that during Monday’s blowdown, “TC Energy employees will close the required valves to isolate the facilities and then open a blowdown valve to safely depressurize in a controlled manner.”

But pipeline blowdowns aren’t without risk. Consultants with Exponent, an engineering and scientific consulting firm, note that blowdowns “can generate several hazards, including low temperatures, vibrations, fire and explosion risks, and the release of greenhouse gases.”

One 2023 study published in the journal Geohealth found that pipeline compressor stations “present human health concerns as they release chemical pollutants into the air, sometimes at levels higher than national air quality standards.”

“Compressor stations are also significant sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas and contributor to global warming,” scientists wrote in the study. “The majority of the methane is emitted during blowdowns, when compressor units are depressurized for maintenance and release large amounts of high‐pressure gas to the atmosphere.”

TC Energy’s pipeline blowdown in Pinch is scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14, weather pending.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.com or by calling 304-370-3067.