Waterford deals with natural gas problem

Shelter set up for those in need during coldest weekend of the season

National Grid has began restoring natural gas service Saturday for Waterford residents who were without heat since Friday night.

About 50 customers in the areas of Clifton, Grove, Grace and River streets were affected by the outage, the utility said. The service interruption comes during the coldest spell of the season and the town set up an emergency shelter, according to a town advisory.

“It’s the coldest weekend of the winter and we don’t have an estimate of when the repairs will be completed,” Town Supervisor John Lawler said Saturday afternoon. “I am worried about people tonight when it’s well below freezing and in the single digits, that people will be without heat and elderly people and children won’t have a place to be.”

National Grid crews were on the scene through the day doing excavation work and by 5:30 p.m. Saturday they had found water in the gas pipe causing the loss of service.

“We have removed water from the pipe and have begun restoring, or re-lighting, gas service to the affected homes. We are currently going door-to-door to restore those services,” spokesman Patrick Stella said.

Re-lighting gas services for customers must be done on a meter-by-meter basis and customers must be home to allow workers to access the equipment.

“We will continue to reach out to the customers affected until we have inspected and restored gas service to all customers,” Stella said.

Earlier Saturday, police and firefighters went door-to-door to notify residents that the shelter was set up by the Waterford Rescue Squad at 46 4th Street. Transportation was also made available if necessary.

Residents who are experiencing supply issues are asked to call 1-800-892-2345.

Any residents in need of assistance can call Waterford Police at 518-235-3007.