How We Maintain a Safe Gas System

Leatherstocking Gas Company’s highest priority is safety. We are committed to maintaining a safe and reliable natural gas system.

Ongoing monitoring, inspection, maintenance and safety measures for Leatherstocking’s pipeline network include:

• Real time pressure monitoring from our 24/7 control room which maintains the flowing pressure in our system within safe operating guidelines.  Any activity on the gas pipeline system which may significantly impact the flow of gas from the gate stations to customers’ meters is cleared through our Gas Control.  Pressure regulator stations and overpressure protection devices are maintained throughout the system.
• Leak surveying of the distribution system through:
  
  • Ground patrols and surveys using vehicle-mounted and handheld detectors to measure natural gas levels in the air in the vicinity of mains and services.
• Corrosion Control teams measure and test cathodic protection on steel mains and services. Cathodic protection involves connecting steel pipelines to more easily corroded metals which enable steel pipelines to resist the corrosive effects of the surrounding soil.   
• Adding odorant to make the gas detectable by scent.  While natural gas is odorless, Leatherstocking adds mercaptan, which gives gas the familiar rotten egg odor and enables leaks to be detected by smell.
• Active Participant in the PA One Call system to identify excavations near Leatherstocking’s facilities and promote damage prevention awareness.
• Pipeline markers are placed wherever necessary to indicate pipeline locations, particularly where they intersect streets, railroads and congested areas.  Markers indicate the general location of a pipeline.  They do not indicate how deep the lines are or how many lines are in the area.  Never rely on the presence or absence of pipeline markers to determine the existence or exact location of underground utilities.
• Pressure testing is one of the ways that new pipelines are tested during construction.  Before a gas facility goes into service, it is filled with an inert gas and pressurized to levels that exceed the operational pressure for the pipe.