Minn. orders Xcel Energy to fix sewer line breaches

State officials on Friday ordered Xcel Energy to find and fix any gas lines statewide that have breached sewer lines, a problem that led to the fiery destruction of a St. Paul house this week.

Xcel faces a $1 million fine if it does not comply with the order, issued by the Department of Public Safety.

The order "wasn't unexpected," said Bill Kaphing, vice president of the control center at Xcel. The utility has been cooperating, he said, and "we knew when this incident happened that we'd be doing more corrective actions."

Trista Meehan's home in the Highland Park neighborhood was engulfed in flames Monday after a plumbing contractor, trying to clear a clogged sewer line, ruptured a natural gas line that had accidentally been laid crossways through the sewer pipe years before. The contractor, Lee Moey, smelled gas and alerted Meehan, helping her flee the house. He was injured in the blaze.

Xcel also must inspect all the gas mains by Wednesday in the two dozen or so homes around Meehan's house at 2014 Villard Av., said department spokesman Andy Skoogman.

Xcel must also:

• Identify every instance of trenchless gas pipeline installation.

• Tell the department's Office of Pipeline Safety how the utility plans to fix any problems that are discovered by Feb. 19.

• Fix any breach discovered within 14 days.

Xcel plans to hire a contractor to scan sewer lines with cameras starting Monday, Kaphing said. "We'll arrange with the homeowners to gain access to their homes ... and we'll send the camera down and see what's there," he said.

Meehan was performing with her band Friday night and could not be reached for comment. But in an interview Thursday with a Star Tribune reporter, she said she believes Xcel "let down" her neighborhood. "I'm very concerned that this not be swept under the rug."

The state knows of five other similar incidents since 1999 when homes have been flooded with gas, Skoogman said. Two exploded, he said -- one in St. Paul and one in Rochester. No one was killed.

Specifically, state officials are worried about a possible pipe breach resulting from repairs to a clogged sewer line that a neighbor said were made in the past few weeks, Skoogman said.

Officials are telling area residents to leave immediately and call 911 if they smell gas. If any of their homes have a clogged sewer line, "Do not get it cleaned until Xcel gets out there to inspect it," he said.

The 2-inch gas line at Meehan's house was installed in 1991 as part of a storm-water and sanitary sewer separation project. The gas main had to be moved from the center of the street to the sides.

Instead of digging a trench to lay pipe, workers used a boring pipe system to tunnel an underground path. "When they did that, they went right through the sewer," said Elizabeth Skalnek, the pipeline safety office's chief engineer.

When Xcel discovered that gas and sewer lines had been crossed, the utility scanned more than 1,000 sewer lines with cameras, Kaphing said. Parts of the Highland Park neighborhood were checked in 2003, but not Villard Avenue.

Xcel and the Office of Pipeline Safety gave slightly different accounts on Friday of how many crossed lines have been found, and when -- which is partly why the state wants more information from the utility, Skoogman said. The inspections turned up about two dozen instances where a gas line was inserted into a sewer line, most in St. Paul, Skalnek said this week.

Xcel is coming up with a plan to identify additional areas that need checking. The utility will also ramp up efforts to communicate with plumbing and sewer professionals and customers.

Minnesotans who think they may have sewer clogs should call the natural gas operator and ask if service has been moved since the house was built, officials said. If it hasn't, the risk of a breach is low.

Meehan said learning about what caused the blast has made her an "advocate for a better solution."

"There will be some good thing to come out of this, including some more public awareness about this issue," she said.