Day in and day out, the 54 employees of the Gas Section of Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) make it possible for all of us to have access to natural gas – safely. “Safety is a vital aspect of natural gas distribution; the LCU Gas Section employees endeavor every day to make natural gas as safe as possible,” explains Gas Distribution and Construction Administrator Lucio M. Garcia, P.E.
On March 17th the group was honored with a catered lunch and drawings for prizes in the Gas Training Center onsite at LCU. Gas Utility Workers Day was established last year by the American Public Gas Association (APGA); this is the second year it is being observed nationwide. “We recognize our Gas Section employees on this day to thank them for their hard work and safe work, and so that we never forget the horrific school gas explosion in 1937 that killed almost 300 young school students,” said Garcia.
The Consolidated School of New London, Texas, was built in the middle of a large oil and natural gas field. The school averaged a $300/month gas bill, and school officials were trying to save money. So they tapped into wet-gas lines that ran near the school in an effort to lower bills. (Wet gas is less stable, with more impurities than typical natural gas.)
On March 18, 1937, about 10 minutes before the bell would ring marking the end of the school day, a huge, powerful explosion leveled the school. Those who were not killed in the disaster, were cared for in emergency first-aid stations established in four surrounding towns.
That horrific explosion led to gas safety regulations; agencies were established to oversee safety efforts; odorization of natural gas became widespread so people can recognize a gas leak and get help; wet gas was no longer piped to other locations, instead it is burned off at the site where it is pumped out of the ground.
LCU does everything possible to provide a safe, reliable supply of natural gas to approximately 40,000 combined residential, commercial, and industrial meter connections in and around Las Cruces. The Gas Section reaches out to the community regularly stressing gas safety through newspaper articles and ads, billing inserts, radio ads, and bus wraps.
Safety messages include:
- Call 811 before you dig, so underground utilities are marked and gas lines are not damaged by heavy equipment or by a shovel driven into the ground, potentially sparking an explosion;
- If you smell gas, move out of the area, and then call LCU 24-hour Emergency Dispatch at 526-0500;
- To activate gas at your home or business an adult over the age of 18 must be there to meet the field services technician;
- To be sure customers can recognize the odor in case of a gas leak, in January 2017 LCU customers received a scratch-n-sniff card in utility bills with the scent that is added to natural gas.
Safety is a critical component of using natural gas; no one realizes that more than the men and women who are Gas Utility Workers.
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.
Suzanne Michaels provides this content on behalf of Las Cruces Utilities