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Mass. officials find source of Lawrence gas leak but decline to offer details

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Mass. officials find source of Lawrence gas leak but decline to offer details

Massachusetts officials said they have identified the source of a large natural gas leak in Lawrence, Mass., and confirmed it was an isolated incident, but refused to offer any details about the cause or nature of the incident.

The officials are withholding further information about the leak discovered on Columbia Gas of Massachusetts' system on Sept. 27 until the state's Department of Public Utilities, or DPU, completes an investigation. The city and state cannot give the public a full and accurate report until the DPU issues an official conclusion, the officials said during a press conference.

"This is an isolated incident, and I think it's appropriate that DPU is reviewing it," Mayor Dan Rivera said. "We'll have more information about the actual cause of it later when we have a full top to bottom, but currently there is no issue with the gas line."

The update came after a leak forced the evacuation of more than 100 Lawrence residents. The incident occurred about a year after a series of fires and explosions caused by an overpressurized gas line, also on Columbia Gas' system, rocked the northwestern Massachusetts community.

Columba Gas, a NiSource Inc. subsidiary, confirmed earlier that the high-pressure line that suffered the leak had been replaced within the last year as part of the restoration effort.

Six DPU staff members, including the director of pipeline safety, are on site and will monitor Columbia Gas repair work, Gov. Charlie Baker said.

Officials declined to answer questions about whether work was being performed near the line prior to the leak. Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President and COO Mark Kempic reaffirmed an earlier statement that the company was not performing maintenance there. At one point, Kempic said a facility was damaged in an isolated incident, causing the leak.

Kempic confirmed that Columbia Gas has been actively monitoring for leaks as ordered by the DPU on Sept. 11 after the company discovered workers did not follow safety regulations while abandoning at least two service lines during the past year's restoration work. Columbia has found several leaks since then, but nothing on the scale of the Sept. 27 leak, he said.

While Rivera and Baker spoke positively about Columbia Gas' response to the incident, they did not withhold criticism. Rivera assured residents the city is holding the company's feet to the fire, while Baker said the incident was a "big deal" and Columbia Gas still has "a long way to go."