County Eyes Reimbursement For Gas Incident Responses

It looks like Washington Gas might be responsible for picking up the tab for the over 260 emergency responses to the smell of natural gas in Loudoun county. Here's a quote from a news article:

County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers said Tuesday he has launched an internal review to see what the county’s options are to get reimbursed for one of the largest county public safety responses prompted by a mistake at a Washington Gas facility during Labor Day weekend.

On Saturday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 4 Loudoun Fire and Rescue career personnel and volunteers responded to 267 gas-related calls over a 52-hour period. Homeowners started smelling gas in their homes on Saturday and calls flooded the Emergency Operations Center. A special command center was set up in the middle of the trouble zone off east of Rt. 7 on Potomac View in a parking lot near a doctor’s office.

Loudoun Fire-Rescue Services spokeswoman Mary Maguire said Washington Gas determined that a piece of equipment was dispensing too much mecaptan, which is the additive that gives natural gas its detectable odor. Maguire said the incident never posed a major health or safety risk to residents.

Bowers said he has asked county staff to determine whether the gas company will reimburse the county for some or all of the costs associated with the response and to secure assurances that such a mistake will not happen again. As part of that process, staff members are working to determine how much it actually cost the county to respond to all the calls.

Now Washington Gas wants to increase Virginia rates?!?! The company has already cut too much from its operational units to safely maintain its system in the name of shareholder value. I think it's time for Washington Gas shareholders to shoulder some of the burden for maintaining their investment.

Gas Smell Permeates Northern Va. Neighborhoods

WTOP recently reported residents in Fairfax and Loudoun counties were treated to the smell of natural gas due to Washington Gas equipment malfunctions.

Here's a quote from the article:

Residents and business owners in parts of Sterling, Ashburn and Western Fairfax reported smelling gas starting on Saturday afternoon.

A Washington Gas spokeswoman says there they have found only pinhead leaks in some lines but no big leaks.

An equipment malfunction put too much mercaptan, the additive that gives natural gas its smell, into the system.

Unfortunately, I believe this is only a small symptom of a much larger problem at Washington Gas. The company must focus resources on its field operations and employees or it will see much larger issues and malfunctions in the future. If you cut and eliminate too much from an organization to lower expenses, you will eventually handicap its ability to ensure the safe operation of its systems.