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Incorrect markings cause gas leak
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Monday August 20, 2001 |
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tucson Fire Department attributes accident to contracting blunder
A natural gas leak occurred Thursday morning as the result of improperly marked gas lines in a construction area.
National Pipeline, a company contracted by the University of Arizona to enlarge a damaged gas line leading to University Medical Center, accidentally struck through the line Thursday, causing a leak at the corner of Tyndall Avenue and Helen Street.
The Tucson Fire Department responded to the leak at 11:30 a.m., where a dust-mixed vapor was shooting out of a trench where workers had been digging
"The workers cut the line with a back hoe," said Jerry Bowin, a Tucson Fire Department spokesperson. "They were working near the gas line, but the line wasn't identified properly."
Libby Howell, spokesperson for Southwest Gas Company, said it was the contractor's responsibility to mark any conflicting utility lines. National Pipeline would not comment.
Three fire trucks and a hazardous materials vehicle arrived at the location of the leak. Although the nature of the leak did not require any evacuations, the University of Arizona Police Department alerted homeowners to the accident and closed the surrounding streets for 20 minutes.
One woman was transported to University Medical Center after complaining of breathing problems related to the fumes.
Howell said National Pipeline was hired to repair the line in order to accommodate the growing need for gas used by the university.
"We've contracted a company to enlarge the main gas line running to the university," she said. "The university is choosing to increase its usage, so we're trying to keep up with the demand."
Howell added that the increased demand is directly due to plans for a gas-powered electric-generator, which the university is planning to build near UMC. The gas line for the generator is scheduled to be finished in October.
An additive allowed workers to notice the usually odorless gas before the leak became more severe.
"Natural gas normally doesn't have a smell, so we mix it with an odor to let people know when it's around," Howell said.
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