Wash. Admin. Code § 480-93-110

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 480-93-110 - Corrosion control

(1) Each gas pipeline company must record and retain a record of each cathodic protection test, survey, or inspection required by 49 C.F.R. Subpart I, and chapter 480-93 WAC. Each gas pipeline company must keep all records of each test, survey, or inspection for a minimum of five years, except those records specified in 49 C.F.R. § 192.491(c) which the gas pipeline company must retain for the life of the gas pipeline facility.

(2) Each gas pipeline company must complete remedial action within ninety days to correct any cathodic protection deficiencies known and indicated by any test, survey, or inspection. An additional thirty days may be allowed for remedial action if due to circumstances beyond the gas pipeline company's control the company cannot complete remedial action within ninety days. Each gas pipeline company must be able to provide documentation to the commission indicating that remedial action was started in a timely manner and that all efforts were made to complete remedial action within ninety days. (Examples of circumstances allowing each gas pipeline company to exceed the ninety-day time frame include right of way permitting issues, availability of repair materials, or unusually long investigation or repair requirements.)

(3) Cathodic protection equipment and instrumentation must be maintained, tested for accuracy, calibrated, and operated in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. When there are no manufacturer's recommendations, then instruments must be tested for accuracy at an appropriate schedule determined by the gas pipeline company.

(4) Each gas pipeline company's procedures manual must have written procedures explaining how cathodic protection related surveys, reads, and tests will be conducted. Examples of such procedures include, but are not limited to, how to determine IR drop (as defined in 49 C.F.R. § 192 Appendix D), how to conduct electrical surveys, how to test casings for electrical isolation, how to test casings for shorted conditions, and how to measure and interpret 49 C.F.R. § 192 Appendix D criteria.

(5) Each gas pipeline company must conduct inspections or tests for electrical isolation between metallic pipeline casings and metallic pipelines at least once annually, but not to exceed fifteen months between inspections or tests. The test or inspection must also determine whether the pipeline has adequate levels of cathodic protection at the casing to pipeline interface. These requirements do not apply to unprotected copper inserted in ferrous pipe.

(a) For each casing installed prior to September 5, 1992, that does not have test leads, the gas pipeline company must be able to demonstrate that other test or inspection methods are acceptable and that test lead wires are not necessary to monitor for electrical isolation and adequate cathodic protection levels.

(b) Whenever electrical isolation tests or inspections indicate that a possible shorted condition exists between a casing and a pipeline, the gas pipeline company must conduct a follow-up test within ninety days to determine whether an actual short exists. The gas pipeline company's procedures manual must have a level or threshold that would indicate a potential shorted condition and must also detail the method of determining whether the casing is actually shorted to the pipeline.

(c) The gas pipeline company must clear the shorted condition where practical.

(d) Whenever a short exists between a line pipe and casing, the gas pipeline company must perform a leak survey within ninety days of discovery and at least twice annually thereafter, but not to exceed seven and one-half months between leak surveys until the shorted condition is eliminated.

(6) Each gas pipeline company must record the condition of all underground metallic facilities each time the facilities are exposed.

(7) Each gas pipeline company must have a written program to monitor for indications of internal corrosion. The program must also have remedial action requirements for areas where internal corrosion is detected.

(8) On all cathodically protected pipelines, the gas pipeline company must take a cathodic protection test reading each time an employee or representative of the gas pipeline company exposes the facility and the protective coating is removed.

(9) Each gas pipeline company must have a written atmospheric corrosion control monitoring program. The program must have time frames for completing remedial action.

Wash. Admin. Code § 480-93-110

Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.060 and 81.88.040. 08-12-046 (Docket PG-070975, General Order R-549), § 480-93-110, filed 5/30/08, effective 6/30/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.04.160, 80.28.210, and 80.01.040. 05-10-055 (Docket No. UG-011073, General Order No. R-520), § 480-93-110, filed 5/2/05, effective 6/2/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.160, 81.04.160, and 34.05.310. 01-20-061 (Docket No. A-010827, General Order No. R-491), § 480-93-110, filed 9/28/01, effective 10/29/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040. 92-16-100 (Order R-375, Docket No. UG-911261), § 480-93-110, filed 8/5/92, effective 9/5/92; Order R-28, § 480-93-110, filed 7/15/71; Order R-5, § 480-93-110, filed 6/6/69, effective 10/9/69.