Natural Gas Main Ruptures
More than 40 homes and the Saticoy County Club were without heat and hot water after a high-pressure natural gas line snapped under a landslide near Saticoy on Sunday morning.
The 8:55 a.m. rupture, which sent dirt and debris hundreds of feet into the air for nearly an hour, was Ventura County’s third gas-main break caused by a landslide in the past three weeks.
“It is inconvenient for our customers, and it’s costly for us,” said Vic Sterling, Southern California Gas Co.’s central coast district manager.
Sterling said utility officials would gather today to determine what could be done to predict the next area likely to experience a landslide and to prevent future breaks.
“Is there something we can do? Can we predict any future slides?” Sterling asked.
Even though the weather has been dry since last week, Sterling said the slide is “very much related to recent rains.”
The break occurred when a saturated mountainside gave way on the Lloyd-Butler Ranch, which is near the intersection of Vineyard and West Los Angeles avenues.
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