Some gas repairs crews appear to be nervous when their work is documented by the public.
Washington Gas’ subcontractors were not too happy that a bystander was watching them work at the site of a gas leak on October 4, 2018. Below, an employee with H&M (Henkels & McCoy) takes photos or videos of Edward Segal as he stood across the street taking photos of them in the 3000 block of Dumbarton Street, NW.
Gas company workers also discouraged Segal from taking photos at another leak repair site at 31st and O Streets, NW on October 2, 2018. Why are they so skittish about public scrutiny?
Multiple Gas Leaks at Same Intersection
In September 2018, fire fighters, police, and crews from Washington Gas arrived at the intersection of 28th and Dumbarton Street, NW (first photo below) in response to a reported gas leak. Within a matter of days repair crews had to return when a second leak was reported at the same intersection (second photo below).
Night Work on Gas Leak
During a cold night in December 2017, Washington Gas employees arrive below to work on a gas leak on 29th Street NW, just north of O Street.
5 Gas Leaks in One Day in Same Neighborhood
The gas leak below on 30th Street NW was one of at least five such incidents on the same day that crews from Washington Gas were working on around the corner from each other. The leaks occurred on October 2, 2018 and may have set a record for the number of gas leaks on one day in the same Georgetown neighborhood.
Signs of Things to Come
At the intersection of O and 29th Streets, NW Washington Gas or their subcontractors used white spray paint to mark an area around the sidewalk access to a gas pipeline (foreground). A second site on the other opposite side of the intersection near the orange traffic cones has also been marked.
The white markings mean that there will be excavations here in the future. As usual, there has been no word from Washington Gas about the problem or when they will be back to work on it. This intersection has been the site of other gas leaks.
Who Were Those Masked Men?
On June 9, 2017 repairmen wearing masks, oxygen canisters, and protective clothing worked on a gas leak in the 1200 block of 28th Street, NW. If it was so important that they take such safety precautions, how come the community was not notified of the situation or evacuated? And how come the workers in the background were not wearing protective gear as well?
Dig, Repair. Pave Over. Repeat as Needed.
Washington Gas often sends crews to smooth out rough patches on streets where repair crews have worked. Unfortunately, workers have been known to return later to the same same location to dig new holes, repair new leaks, and create new piles of debris.
The photo below from October 2017 shows asphalt being used to cover up repair holes at the intersection of 28th and Dumbarton Streets, NW. The utility company was back within a year to tear up the same spot in order to find and fix another round of multiple natural gas leaks.
One Definition of Insanity
It’s settled science that leaking natural gas pipelines can severely damage and kill adjacent trees. But Washington DC keeps replanting trees in the same spots where leaking natural gas have killed their predecessors. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result.
Below, independent gas safety expert Bob Ackley uses sensitive equipment to monitor natural gas levels where a tree used to be in Georgetown.
DC Gas Leaks 