Columbia Gas of Ohio : Responds to PUCO Order Regarding Upper Arlington Incident

Columbia Gas of Ohio is pleased that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved the agreement reached with PUCO Staff regarding the March 2015 explosion in Upper Arlington, as it will allow us to continue enhancing the safety of our system.

Our customers expect safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to their homes and businesses. We are committed to the safe operation of our system and we will continue to deliver on those expectations.

The investigation by PUCO Staff found the explosion was caused by a unique set of circumstances. There were two gas lines at the home, but one of them had been mismarked as a water line. A third party (not Columbia Gas) turned the mismarked valve, causing the house to fill with natural gas.

While the incident in Upper Arlington was a unique situation, we believe the following action steps, approved today by the PUCO, are the right thing to do as they will ultimately reduce the likelihood of this type of incident from occurring again.

• Reaching out to water departments, plumbers, public officials and excavators to explain the safety elements of natural gas infrastructure, including how to respond to an unintended release of gas or inadvertent operation of gas valves.
• Accelerating our program to record the locations of our gas facilities using GPS.Work is currently under way in Clintonville and Hilliard. The program will be substantially completed statewide by 2023.
• Continuing our natural gas line replacement program. Since the inception of our program in 2008, we have replaced 1,341 miles of aging mainline, as well as 159,324 service lines. Under the program, the new gas systems have enhanced safety features and will provide reliable service for many years to come.
• Checking our service line records for any anomalies that suggest a need for further investigation.
• Completing plans to build a new training center, where employees will practice safety techniques under realistic conditions. We will invite emergency responders to train at the center as well, so they can learn how to respond to natural gas incidents. We will also revise and update our training curriculum.

We encourage our customers to contact us with questions or concerns about their natural gas service. We also remind customers that if they ever smell an odor of natural gas, to move to a safe location, and call Columbia Gas at 800-344-4077 and their local fire department at 911.

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