Atmos Energy Corp. is shutting off gas to 2,800 homes to allow for expedited pipeline replacement in northwestern Dallas in the wake of an explosion and heavy rains that caused widespread system leaks in the area.
The company is bringing in 120 contract crews to replace all the distribution lines, service lines and gas meters in the affected area, according to John Paris, Atmos' Mid-Tex division president. The company also will test every customer yard line and the gas piping inside the buildings, making repairs wherever necessary, Paris said. The affected customers could be without gas service for up to three weeks, the company said.
A Feb. 23 gas explosion in northwestern Dallas killed a 12-year-old girl and prompted Atmos to begin sweeping system leak surveys. As Atmos monitored the area in the days following the incident, the company detected more escaping gas, with some leaks prompting evacuations.
Atmos officials pointed to heavy rains as a key factor causing instability in the gas system. Two different types of geologic formations meet in the area where the pipeline leaks have occurred, according to a geotechnical engineering analysis. The formations have responded to the high volume of rainwater and runoff differently, with one area expanding and putting pressure on the gas system, Atmos' senior vice president of safety and enterprise services, Kevin Akers, told reporters.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area got more than 11 inches of rain in February, which is more than 8.5 inches above normal, according to Feb. 28 data from the National Weather Service.
"Due to the sudden and unexplained leaks on our system during extraordinary weather in north Texas ... we have implemented continuous survey patrols [and] we are now in the process ... of replacing that entire distribution system," Akers said.
Atmos did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the price tag associated with the expedited work.
The city of Dallas said March 1 that it would provide resources to support Atmos' pipeline replacement effort, and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins welcomed the company's plans.
"I fully support their decision to take down this system and replace it as soon as possible," Jenkins said during the news conference. "This is a prudent thing to do in a situation with a quickly deteriorating system."
