COLOSSAL TASK REMAINS IN COLUMBIA GAS RECOVERY
Less than 1 percent of affected homes OK’d so far
Columbia Gas has cleared less than 1 percent of nearly 8,000 Merrimack Valley homes to resume gas service after last month’s explosions — with the promised Nov. 19 deadline and cold weather fast approaching.
Only 73 of 7,657 total affected residential units have been inspected, had compromised fixtures and appliances replaced, and declared “House Ready,” the company admitted yesterday — out of 3,513 that have been assessed but have not all had their faults addressed.
That leaves 4,144 homes to be assessed, with a total 7,584 homes to have any necessary equipment replaced and repairs done so they can be approved for gas service in a little over a month’s time, according to yesterday’s Columbia Gas daily report. To make the Nov. 19 completion date, the company will have to clear an average of 180 homes a day over the next 42 days. Yesterday, 340 assessments were in progress.
“I don’t know how they’re going to get it done before the deadline they set,” said John Buonopane, president of USW Local 12012, which represents local gas workers. “I don’t know how they can do that.”
“I am concerned as the cold weather is fast ap-
proaching,” said Andover fire Chief Michael Mansfield. “However there has been quite a bit of progress made thus far by Columbia Gas. The task before everyone is monumental, to say the least, and is unprecedented, but we remain optimistic.”
Columbia Gas released a construction restoration plan last week outlining details of the installation of approximately 45 miles of pipeline and 6,100 service lines. As of yesterday, the company had replaced over 18 miles of pipe and replaced 917 service lines.
“It’s on track,” Columbia Gas spokesman Scott Ferson insisted. “Replacement of the gas line moves at a faster pace. House assessments aren’t slow, it just requires more time.”
Teams that are visiting homes and businesses have to assess whether natural gas appliances and piping were damaged by the overpressurization that took place Sept. 13, when south Lawrence, North Andover and Andover were hit with more than 50 explosions and fires that destroyed several houses, injured as many as two dozen people and killed a teenager. Upon completion of any repairs, the crews test natural gas lines for safety and install new appliances before they can declare the dwellings “House Ready.”
The final phase to restore natural gas service involves a Columbia Gas representative visiting homes and businesses to perform additional safety checks.
“I’m not surprised to see the construction ahead of the install and assessment piece,” North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor told the Herald. “I would say the install, which will ultimately be combined as install and assessment, is certainly a process that is more labor intensive and will lag a little from the construction piece.”
Maylor said teams of workers will be “ramping up” and begin using a “block approach” this week, aiming for a one-stop process to get homes ready.
“They’re learning through the process to do it all at once,” said Maylor, saying the workers want to avoid making multiple trips to homes as they have been doing. He said they are aiming to do all the steps “simultaneously ... a change that will add increased efficiency and improve the likelihood of meeting those deadlines.”
“There are a lot of moving parts but at this point everything I hear in meetings still gets us to where we need to be by Nov. 19,” Maylor said. “Those numbers will start to come on more aggressively and start to catch up.”