Dozens of active natural gas leaks throughout the Georgetown community were found this month in an updated street survey conducted by Bob Ackley of Gas Safety USA.
Ackley was in town to testify at the February 6 community hearing on gas leak reporting requirements that was held by the DC Public Service Commission. Ackley called for full daily public disclosure of all gas leaks and repairs in Washington, DC. He said special attention should be paid by Washington Gas Light to repairing gas leaks that are adjacent to trees and vegetation.
Click at the link below to see screen shots of the Google Earth maps that indicate the location of the natural gas leaks that Ackley detected with his sensitive monitoring and tracking equipment. Please note: The red shows the path of Ackley’s vehicle. Escaping methane emissions are indicated by elevated red lines, which represent potential active natural gas pipeline leaks or methane emissions from another source. The lines do not indicate the severity of the leaks, which would have to be determined by proper testing procedures and leak classification by Washington Gas Light.
https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1oh1PtQ-FQb7KaJOGmTJRPJUrxJ5-2eE6?usp=drive_open
This latest survey of Georgetown gas leaks “should serve as a wake-up call for all residents and community leaders,” Ackley said. “We know that at least 127 gas leaks were repaired by Washington Gas in Georgetown since 2016; my latest survey shows that there are dozens of other gas leaks throughout the community that need to be addressed,” he said.
Ackley conducted a street-by-street gas leak survey of Georgetown in 2017. To access the Google Map with drop pins that indicated the location of leaks at that time and see a copy of his testimony to the Commission, click on this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1clEQm3vyuhr0-yvrMcoN5QxvhZQfLdnY?usp=sharing
In 2014, Ackley participated in a city-wide survey of gas leaks that found there were almost 6,000 active natural gas leaks beneath the streets of Washington. The survey was sponsored by Duke University, Nicholas School for the Environment and Center on Global Change. The study was a collaboration with Duke University, Boston University and Gas Safety Inc. The lead author, Rob Jackson, was at Duke at the time of publication and is now at Stanford.
Click on the following link to read the Washington Post story about the survey: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/researchers-find-nearly-6000-natural-gas-leaks-in-districts-aging-pipe-system/2014/01/15/f6ee2204-7dff-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html?utm_term=.351caf89c425
DC Gas Leaks 