BANGOR, Maine — On four occasions this year, emergency responders and Bangor Natural Gas personnel rushed to the scenes of natural gas leaks, all of which were preventable.
In three of those cases, third-party contractors digging near gas lines punctured a pipe, setting loose a stream of nasty-smelling, mercaptan-scented natural gas. In the fourth instance, a person mowing the grass at Buffalo Wild Wings clipped the above-ground connection to the building, which caused a leak.
Two leaks happened within days of each other last month. A large section of Wilson Street in Brewer was closed to traffic and businesses were forced to evacuate Aug. 13, after a man installing a fence punched a hole in a gas line. Just a week earlier, a private contractor doing sewer work outside a home on Fern Street struck a line with the bucket of a small excavator.
Digging caused another leak this year near Bangor International Airport, according to Bangor Natural Gas.
“One of the biggest vulnerabilities in our system is third-party hits,” Jerry Livengood, general manager for Bangor Natural Gas, said.
In each incident this year, city officials said they were impressed by the responses of emergency personnel and safety precautions taken by Bangor Natural Gas officials, but they’d rather not have the leaks happen at all.
On Monday night, at the request of Bangor City Councilor Pauline Civiello, Bangor officials met with Bangor Natural Gas staff to discuss ways to prevent such digging accidents from happening in the future. The key will be education about safe digging practices.
Whenever starting a project that will involve digging, people are required to call 811 under Dig Safe laws to ensure they won’t run into any electric or gas utility lines during the project.
Several states also require you to check for water and sewer infrastructure. In Maine, those utilities aren’t required to be members of Dig Safe, but they can join on a voluntary basis.
In Brewer, the man installing the fence post hadn’t checked with Dig Safe, according to Josh Saucier, head engineer at Bangor Natural Gas. On Fern Street in Bangor, the contractor had done his Dig Safe check, and Bangor Natural Gas crews marked the line’s location on the surface. But when it came time to dig, the contractor exposed the pipe. He then attempted to widen the trench with the excavator, which is when he struck the line, according to Saucier.
Bangor Natural Gas participates in Managing Underground Safety Training, a New England program that holds training sessions to educate people about Dig Safe laws. The company also will send out safety pamphlets to all customers in the near future, according to Andrew Barrowman, manager of sales and marketing for Bangor Natural Gas. Those pamphlets include a scratch-and-sniff spot that gives customers an idea of what a gas leak smells like — it’s usually described as a “rotten eggs” odor.
More training like that could be the solution, city councilors suggested during Monday’s meeting.
City officials said they would explore the possibility of hosting an event for contractors in the area to learn about Dig Safe laws and practices. Bangor Natural Gas volunteered its services and expertise in that area.
Councilor James Gallant suggested the city consider licensing contractors to ensure they maintain standards, similar to how it requires cabdrivers to be licensed through the city — though that idea would require much further discussion. He also stressed the city should push for a “one-call system,” in which all utilities, including water and sewer, would be required to be members of the Dig Safe program, making the approval process as easy as possible for contractors.
Bangor Natural Gas provides safety information for residents on its website: bangorgas.com.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.