Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | October 2, 2017 | wbjournal.com F OC U S E N E R G Y Leaky pipes State and utility officials are striving to repair an aging infrastructure to mitigate costly and damaging natural gas leaks BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer (Above) Construction crews test natural gas flow as they work to install pipelines. (Right) Pipeline leaks in Massachusetts are typically caused by aging infrastructure but can be caused by issues like accidents and careless digging. N atural gas is leaking into the atmosphere from more than 900 locations in Worcester alone, part of a much larger state- wide problem costing ratepayers nearly $40 million annually. Using a 2014 law, state regulators and utility companies are working to cut down on the losses – largely caused by an aging natural gas infrastructure – while new legislation at the State House looks to prohibit utilities from charging customers for the loss of the fossil fuel. "Finding and fixing that small frac- tion of big gusher leaks that are grade 3 is in the best interest of everybody," said Audrey Schulman, president of Cambridge advocacy group Home Energy Efficient Team. "It wastes rate- payers' money, hurts trees and is an extraordinarily potent greenhouse gas." Nationwide, eight to 12 billion cubic feet of natural gas is lost annually, says the U.S. Department of Transportation. This greenhouse gas is 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Leaks are everywhere In Worcester, gas is escaping from 906 unrepaired leaks, as of December, according to HEET. Throughout Massachusetts, there are 16,507 unre- paired leaks, including at least one in almost every community with gas lines. In Worcester, the leaks are through- out the city, including in front of popu- lar restaurant deadhorse hill and four on Water Street (including three right near Kelley Square). Another 260 leaks were reported and repaired last year, but those were the more serious and potentially explosive leaks. When a leak reaches Grade 2 or 1, it is deemed hazardous and is repaired in short order. Grade 3 leaks, however, can remain unrepaired for years. Utilities weren't required to report leaks until 2014, but Worcester has leaks dating back to that first year, including one on Duxbury Street and four at the intersection of Hamilton and Plantation streets. Worcester has the second most unre- paired gas leaks of any Massachusetts community, while Boston took the top mark with 1,392. This is primarily due to the cities' size and age of gas pipes, according to HEET. P H O T O S / F L I C K R P H O T O / Z A C H A R Y C O M E A U

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