Natural gas service disrupted in Hempfield

About two dozen homes in the Penn High Park section of Hempfield remained without natural gas service Tuesday, after the service lines were flooded on Christmas Day by a crew fixing a water line break, a Columbia Gas Co. of Pennsylvania spokesman said.

The time frame for when residents will be able to return to their homes safely and with heat has yet to be determined, said Lee Gierczynski, a Columbia Gas spokesman.

The natural gas service was halted in the early hours of Christmas Day as a result of the gas line rupture in the area of Baughman Road and Western Avenue, which stopped the flow of gas to 47 customers on parts of High Brow Lane, Penn High Park Road and Sunview and Western avenues, Gierczynski said.

Columbia Gas said it worked with the Red Cross on arrangements for temporary accommodations at two Greensburg-area hotels. The company said it would cover hotel expenses for those customers while their gas service is disrupted.

A Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County crew was repairing a water line break in the Baughman Road area of Hempfield and hit a natural gas line, said Matthew Junker, water authority spokesman. The Public Utility Commission, which oversees the system that notifies utilities of an excavation, was notified before repair work began, Junker said.

When the natural gas line was cut, water flowed into the supply line, shutting off service to the homes, Gierczynski said. In some cases, gas meters were flooded and froze, while services lines also became saturated with water and have to be replaced.

Workers at the site said about 8,000 feet of gas line was flooded.

“They’ve been working nonstop to restore service,” Gierczynski said of crews from Columbia Gas and its contractor, NPL Construction Co. of Washington, Pa. “The biggest hardship (for the crews) has been the cold weather,” he added.

The gas lines must be cleared of ice, water and other debris before the service can be restored, Gierczynski said. Holes had to be dug along the road in multiple locations to clear the lines.

“As repairs are being completed, Columbia Gas crews will go door-to-door to perform safety checks and relight natural gas appliances for affected customers,” the company said.

Once the repairs are completed, Columbia Gas will conduct an analysis of the event, at which time the cost of the repairs will be determined, Gierczynski said.

An assessment will be filed with the PUC Damage Prevention Committee, which will determine financial responsibility for the gas line break, Junker said.