CNG: E. Bend gas leaks were safety pressure releases
(Update: Adding Bend Fire Dept. info)
Some residents on Bend’s Eastside got emergency alert calls and roads were closed early Wednesday due to possible natural gas leaks that a utility official later said actually were pressure release safety devices “doing what they are designed to do.”
Residents in the area of Old Red Road and Ward Road called Deschutes County 911 dispatchers to report smelling gas and a sound like a jackhammer. Authorities closed Ward Road in both directions and a section of Old Red Road.
About a half-hour later came calls from residents in the area of Bear Creek Road and 15th Street, saying they were hearing hissing sounds.
Bend fire crews responded shortly after 1 a.m. to the reported leak on Ward Road, resolving the situation with CNG crews, Battalion Chief Dave Howe said. The incident apparently set off a secondary release at the CNG regulator station at 15th Street and Bear Creek Road, which was resolved in similar fashion.
A representative for MDU Resources Group, the parent firm of Cascade Natural Gas, said that around 1 a.m., “pressure release devices at various points on the Cascade Natural Gas system around Bend released gas into the atmosphere, where it dissipated harmlessly.”
“The pressure release devices are a safety mechanism that prevent over-pressurization of Cascade’s gas lines,” said Laura Lueder, MDU’s manager of communications and public relations.
“We understand there was a malfunction on TransCanada’s Gas Transmission Northwest system, and the pressure release devices on our system were doing the job they are designed to do,” she added.
“Cascade Natural Gas personnel are testing to ensure there are no gas leaks in the area, but we do not believe there is any reason for concern,” Lueder added.
Some residents in the affected areas said they got emergency alert calls around 2:30 a.m. from authorities advising them of a “significant” gas leak in the area and to shelter in place and not turn on or off any appliances.
Howe noted, “There are layers of safety mechanisms at all of the CNG facilities. If you smell gas outside, ensure you are in a safe situation and call 911. If you are inside and smell gas and you cannot immediately identify the source, leave the building and call 911.”
