Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission Natural Gas Safety Tips
Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission operates and maintains a natural gas pipeline to bring clean, safe, and reliable energy to the area. In case of a natural gas line break, below are some helpful tips on how to recognize and respond to a natural gas leak.
How to Recognize a Possible Natural Gas Leak
- Dead or dying vegetation in otherwise green area
- Sound of whistling, hissing, or roaring sound near pipelines
- Smell of “Rotten Eggs” (although certain conditions in the pipe and soil can cause odor to fade)
- Dirt, water, or debris being blown into the air
- Exposed pipeline after a flood, fire, earthquake or other disaster
- A fire or explosion near a pipeline
How to Respond to a Natural Gas Leak
- IMMEDIATLEY EVACUATE the area
- From a safe location, call 9-1-1 or Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission at 886-6871 or 886-2900
- Do Not operate any electrical devices such as light switches
- Do Not operate any electronic devices such as cell phones or any other portable communication/electronic devices that have a battery. These can spark and create a source of ignition. When reporting a possible leak from a cell phone, do so from a safe location
- Do Not light matches
- Do Not turn on any equipment that could cause a spark. Safely abandon any motorized or powered equipment or vehicles. Motorized or electrically powered equipment or vehicles may create an ignition source if a natural gas leak is present.
If you do hear sounds of a gas leak, smell natural gas escaping, or any other signs, ONLY turn off your gas if it is safe to do so. The picture below shows the shutoff valve on the riser pipe from the ground to your meter. An adjustable pipe or crescent wrench can be used to turn the valve a quarter turn in the off position. If you turn the gas off, Leave It Off, and call Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission so that the service line can be checked for possible damage before service is restored.
Help Us Prevent Damages
The greatest risk to underground natural gas lines is accidental damage during excavation. Even minor damage may cause a leak of failure. Prestonsburg City’s Utilities Commission is a member of Kentucky811, please call before any type of digging so lines can be located or visit the Kentucky 811 website.