Hartsville Station Recovery

Late on the evening of Feb. 5, 2008, a massive wave of tornados and associated storms swept through several southern states, leaving devastating damage in their wake. Columbia Gulf’s Hartsville Compressor Station took a direct hit from one of the tornadoes, destroying or severely damaging several buildings, and knocking out all compressor capability. None of the 15 employees who work at the station were on site; despite a large fire that erupted as natural gas was vented from the station, there were no fatalities or injuries, and property damage was limited to the station.

The following day, Gulf crews began assessing the damage, and then immediately began work to restore natural gas service in the three pipelines that pass through the station.

More recently, an NGTS team has been assembled to focus on both temporary and long-term solutions for restoring compression at the Hartsville Station to meet the needs of our customers.

In addition to work on the internal recovery effort, Columbia Gulf also has reached out to the surrounding communities that were also severely damaged by the tornadoes. Employees have volunteered their time and contributed their resources to those in need. The NiSource Charitable Foundation and company-matched employee contributions have provided more than $32,000 to support the relief work spearheaded by the Nashville Area Red Cross. For more information about the impact of the tornado on Hartsville and the ongoing recovery effort, see the links to the right.