Natural Gas Leak Closes Highway Wwp Pipeline Near Rathdrum Ruptures; Road Closed 2 Hours

A rupture in a pipeline sent natural gas spewing into the evening air Thursday and shut down a mile of state Highway 41 for more than two hours.

The Washington Water Power Co. pipeline broke open about 5 p.m. near Highway 41 and Nagle Road south of Rathdrum.

As the gas leaked, police and sheriff’s deputies shut down a mile of the highway from Lancaster to Boekle Road.

Jay Hopkins, WWP spokesman, said a defect in the pipe or in a valve may have caused the leak.

“We’re still trying to find out exactly what happened,” he said.

The four-inch plastic pipe carries gas south of Rathdrum and serves about three homes - which lost gas service Thursday evening.

“The biggest danger here is with the blowing gas and the potential of it to ignite,” he said.

Homes were far enough away from the leak that authorities did not evacuate the area.

“The gas is going up and dissipating,” said Bill Schwartz, director of Kootenai County Disaster Services. “They’re having pretty gusty winds so it’s dissipating as it’s leaking.”

As traffic backed up, Idaho State Police had to make sure cars did not stop on the railroad tracks cutting through the area, Schwartz said.

A truck hauling paper and onions also slipped into the ditch along Lancaster Road. It blocked both lanes and further backed up traffic in the area, Schwartz said.

By 7:30, WWP workers were able to shut off the leak and reopen the highway. Because temperatures were expected to drop below freezing, workers hoped to find the problem and restore service to the affected homes before the evening was over, Hopkins said.

, DataTimes