PENN VALLEY, Calif.— Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is preparing to conduct routine a hydrostatic strength test and safety inspection of a natural gas transmission pipe in western Nevada County.

PG&E crews and contractor partners will be excavating at various points along the underground pipe route starting May 11.

Hydrostatic strength testing is one of the leading industry safety tests used to confirm the maximum operating pressure of the pipeline. The first segment being tested starts on the 12300 block of Spenceville Road in Penn Valley and runs northeast to Clover and Spenceville roads.

The second segment being to be tested runs from Dixon Road just north of Victor Place northeast to the 12400 block of Squirrel Creek Road in west Grass Valley.

The segments total 2.5 miles of a 6-inch diameter steel pipe.

This type of safety test requires PG&E to temporarily take the line out of service in order to fill it with water, which is then pressurized to three times the line’s maximum operating pressure, an industry practice used to identify anomalies in the pipeline that may need further examination or repair.

PG&E will do the testing in sections, starting in late June and continuing to about mid-August.

PG&E will use several large tanks for compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG) and smaller bottles of gas to keep customers supplied during the test.

In late June PG&E will place CNG and LNG trucks at its fenced facility on Adam Avenue and Rough and Ready Highway in Grass Valley, as well as on the 17600 block of Penn Valley Drive in Penn Valley.

These tests are part of PG&E’s ongoing commitment to deliver safe, reliable natural gas service to customers and communities it serves. There should be few and brief traffic impacts along the route. There will be no interruptions of natural gas service to customers.

This routine safety testing is mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and will help to enhance the safety and reliability of natural gas service in the area. The strength test confirms the gas pipeline’s integrity and operating pressure.