EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Inspectors Uncover Weak Welds in Pipeline : Oil: An investigation of at least eight leaks caused by the quake is continuing. The state will require Arco to replace aged sections.

The oil pipeline that ruptured during the Northridge earthquake is held together in many places with weak welds that pose a danger of breaking, and regulators are pushing the line’s owner, Atlantic Richfield Co., to replace them.

Although an investigation of at least eight breaks that occurred along a 35-mile span of the Four Corners Pipeline remains incomplete, an official from the State Fire Marshal’s Office on Tuesday pinpointed the archaic acetylene welds and the overall age of the pipe as serious weak points.

“Basically, all the spills that occurred, occurred at these welds,” said Chuck Samo, supervising pipeline safety engineer for the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The agency, which has sole authority for the safety of such pipelines statewide, will require Arco to replace the aged segments and welds, probably over several years, said Samo.

“We want to cooperate,” Arco spokesman Albert Greenstein said. “We don’t want to work in a hostile environment.”

One of the Jan. 17 ruptures killed hundreds of fish and other wildlife in the Santa Clara River near Valencia. Another spill resulted in a fireball that injured one man and burned three homes and 17 vehicles on Wolfskill Street, close to a segment of the pipe that runs under the playground of O’Melveny Elementary School.

In response to the fire, the San Fernando City Council on Monday night voted not to renew its franchise agreement with the Four Corners Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Arco, until members are satisfied that all safety concerns have been addressed. The council also voted to explore ways to relocate the mile-long segment that runs through the city.

But San Fernando has no jurisdiction over pipeline safety issues, said the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

And the city has no control over the pipe segment beneath the playground of O’Melveny School, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district gave Arco an easement for the pipeline at least 40 years ago and cannot rescind it unilaterally, said Bob Niccum, director of real estate for the district.

In addition, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, whose district surrounds San Fernando, told the San Fernando council on Monday night that he opposes relocating the pipe in his district, and he does not want to reopen the franchise agreement between Arco and the city of Los Angeles. Alarcon, chairman of the public works committee, has called a meeting with residents and public officials today.

Meanwhile, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is trying to find out where the archaic welds are located and how many exist, said Samo. About half of the 1920s-era pipeline has been replaced over the years, he said.

“Even the plans sometimes don’t tell you what you have,” Samo said. “In those days, there were no regulations.” Until 1979, there were no federal regulations for oil pipelines, and no state rules until 1981, said Samo.

An Arco spokesman said the company would consider any changes, which would depend on cooperation among the city governments of San Fernando and Los Angeles.

The pipeline, which runs from Kern County to refineries in the South Bay, remains shut down for repairs and inspection.

“It will remain shut down until we’ve completely satisfied it’s safe to operate,” Samo said. His office will require extensive tests to look for cracks or separations resulting from the quake.

Greenstein said Arco hopes to reopen the line in about six weeks to two months.

“The state fire marshal doesn’t want us to operate an unsafe line, and neither do we,” said Greenstein.

Greenstein said he is unsure what effect ending the San Fernando franchise would have on the flow of oil through the pipeline.

The Four Corners franchise with the city of San Fernando has been under negotiation since it expired in 1989. City Council members confronted by angry residents Monday night said they did not renew the franchise in part due to safety concerns. City Administrator Mary Strenn said Tuesday the council also wanted to assure that only crude oil would be shipped--not more volatile compounds.

Crude oil does not ignite easily, and council members have questioned the content of the line after the fire, which witnesses said erupted from a motorcycle’s spark. Samo said as far as his office knows, the contents were light crude oil, and added that he is unsure if a spark could have ignited it.