Category-1 Gas Leak Gets Early Morning Attention
By • May 13, 2019 0 855
At 2 a.m. on Friday, May 10, crews from Washington Gas were tearing up the 2900 block of Olive Street in Georgetown, according to neighbors who reported the incident to neighborhood gas leak watchdog Edward Segal. Washington Gas was repairing a category-one gas leak (the most serious category) under the brick sidewalk where a similar leak was repaired on Feb. 3, per Segal.
This leak was the 138th reported in Georgetown since 2016. Of the more than 4,000 natural gas leaks reported across the city since 2016, as recorded by the gas company, “most have been the most serious Category One,” Segal wrote.
The continuing gas leak problems in Georgetown will be the focus of a May 15 public hearing at the 1325 G St. NW offices of the DC Public Service Commission, which regulates Washington Gas. It will be the second full hearing on the problem.
At the Feb. 6 hearing, a number of Georgetowners spoke to the full commission while a panel of top Washington Gas officials listened intently. Everyone at the meeting agreed that the issue of ongoing gas leaks in Georgetown is complex, due to a deteriorating system of metal pipes and expanding usage. Faster response time to emergency calls and more transparency about leaks and how they are being handled were recommended.
Segal maintains a blog that tracks gas leaks on an almost daily basis at georgetowngasleaks.wordpress.com.
