Naked City

Some 175 customers of Hill Country Water Supply Corp. went without water for at least 10 hours last week after a Longhorn Pipeline contractor broke a HCWSC water line. Customers had to boil water after repairs were made to ensure the water's safety.

Longhorn officials said the break occurred last Wednesday afternoon, near U.S. 290 and Baxter Lane, when a contractor accidentally cut the water line with a rock saw while doing trench work for replacement of a gas line. The mishap prompted pipeline opponents to raise questions anew about the safety of the former crude oil line, which Longhorn plans to use to transport gasoline and other fuels through populated areas of South Austin.

"If someone else had accidentally hit the Longhorn pipeline with a rock saw, we'd be working with a catastrophe," said Craig Smith, chairman of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.

"Most major pipeline accidents are caused by third-party damage," said Marguerite Jones of the Austin Safe Pipeline Coalition, echoing Smith's sentiments about the devastation that would occur if a similar accident were to occur with the Longhorn line. Coincidentally, such a third-party accident happened this week in Ohio when a contractor -- working on a water line -- broke a natural gas line, causing a massive fireball and damaging several buildings. (Fortunately there were no injuries.) Last Sunday, Jones led a group of political candidates on a tour of the old crude oil line's path through portions of Southeast Austin, near schools, parks, and neighborhoods.

Under other circumstances, HCWSC would have worked throughout the night last week to repair the broken water line, said Mike Moran, an environmental engineer with Eco Resources, which maintains the Hill Country water lines. Moran said he opted against the night work for safety's sake, given the proximity of the gas line and the fact that the water line lies nine feet underground.