HOUSTON — A pipeline ruptured in Deer Park on Monday, which left many of us in the newsroom wondering how many pipelines stretched across the Houston area.
The quick answer is a lot. But not everyone is aware that a pipeline runs near their home or in their neighborhood.
One woman who was forced to evacuate her La Porte home after Monday's fire told us her family moved here from New Jersey and they didn't know about the pipelines.
KHOU 11 Investigates reporter Jeremy Rogalski said there are a series of pipelines that run on an easement in the area where the fire is, including the Energy Transfers liquid natural gas line that's burning. Each pipeline has a different hazardous material marker on it. They include petroleum, methanol, dry gas as well as ethane.
"We have hundreds of thousands of miles of natural gas pipeline," KHOU energy expert Ed Hirs said.
Hirs said pipelines age, rust and corrode, so it's really easy for them to rupture.
“We do have pipes that are crisscrossing all around Houston," he said. "You know, this is the heart of the petrochemical refinery complex of America.”
We found a mapping tool that lets you see if there's a pipe running through your neighborhood. Click here to see.
Hirs said it's just as important for homeowners to be aware of their own pipeslines, which can be influenced by the environment. Periods of severe weather, like rain or drought, tend to stress pipelines.