American Sewer ruptures Milwaukee gas line

Milwaukee's Department of Public Works will investigate American Sewer Services Inc.'s project history following an accident Tuesday in which the company broke an underground gas line.

American Sewer, Hartford, was digging a hole through Humboldt Boulevard near the driveway for a Pick 'n Save store parking lot when the company ruptured a 3-inch-diameter underground gas line, said We Energies spokesman Brian Manthey. He said the contractor called We Energies about 8 a.m. after hitting the plastic pipe, which was marked by magenta spray paint on the pavement.

Within two hours, We Energies had dug another hole on the other side of Humboldt and pinched the pipe shut to stop the flow of gas, Manthey said. Pick 'n Save and a nearby Aurora Medical Group office and clinic were evacuated. There were no injuries.

None of the escaping gas collected underground or in the grocery store. It probably floated away in the wind, so there was no threat of explosion, Manthey said. By 10:30 a.m., Milwaukee police and firefighters reopened traffic on Humboldt.

American Sewer also broke an underground water main on a city of Milwaukee project in February. The two instances are a cause for concern, said City Engineer Jeff Polenske. He said his office will investigate if the contractor has had similar problems on projects in other cities. Polenske's office will decide whether to consider debarring American Sewer based on that information, he said.

"I think it's more just looking at the history of this particular contractor," Polenske said. "Obviously, you have two incidences here that, in my eyes, would raise a little concern."

Manthey said the rupture attracted a lot of attention, possibly because of the April 2 explosion in Oconomowoc that occurred after an unmarked underground gas line was ruptured on a construction site, causing a church to explode. Manthey said the increased sensitivity is probably a good thing, as it ensures everybody responds carefully when gas line ruptures occur.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had an inspector on site Tuesday questioning utility officials and American Sewer workers. Chris Zortman, assistant area director of the Milwaukee OSHA office, said trenching standards require employers to locate and mark underground gas lines on projects. However, OSHA doesn't have any specific rules for cases where the pipes are marked but are ruptured anyway.

The city of Milwaukee awarded American Sewer a $317,900 contract on May 2 to build water-main relays on Humboldt, among other places in Milwaukee.

The city's contract with American Sewer requires the contractor to pay for any repair work to damages it caused.

American Sewer did not respond to requests for comment before deadline.

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