Bend Cascade Natural Gas customers advised of an upcoming visit to check their meters for any ‘atmospheric corrosion’

It's routine, every three years or so - and federally required

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – In today’s high-tech world, meter-readers can be a relatively rarer sight, but Cascade Natural Gas customers in Bend recently learned they’ll be getting a visit, to check their meters for any signs of “atmospheric corrosion.”

A card that arrived in the mail said that visit would take place in the next couple of months – a physical inspection “necessary to comply with federal regulations (that) requires our employees to physically assess the condition of our meters.”

The flyer advised of the visit and said they will be Cascade Natural Gas workers in high-visibility uniforms, driving company vehicles and carrying handheld tablet computers to perform the surveys.

CNG spokesman Mark Hanson said, “This is a routine patrol of our system. We do the entire system at least once every three years.”

“The system is divided in approximately thirds, to balance employee resources,” Hanson explained. “During the survey/patrol, we look for atmospheric corrosion, meter set issues and any other issues that may be present.”

And what’s meant by “atmospheric corrosion” – rust?

Hanson said that’s basically it: “Deterioration of materials caused by air and moisture, which can come from fog, dew, humidity and precipitation.”

These days, the utility does very few in-person meter reads, Hanson said, “but that hasn’t impacted this survey, which is required. It’s something we’ve done since at least 1970 and continue to do so today.”