Beaver County leader expresses frustration at ongoing gas outage

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — It has now been four days since thousands of people in Beaver County have been without gas.

On Wednesday, Columbia Gas said 40% of families, or roughly 2,800 customers, have had their gas restored. That number is down from 4,000 when the emergency shut-off took place.

Jo Ann Borato, mayor of Economy Borough, said the decision to shut off gas to folks in Economy Borough, Baden, Conway and Freedom was a decision that had to be made.

“Nobody wanted to do this,” Borato tells Channel 11. “Whether it’s the third-party supplier or Columbia Gas.”

Crews have to dig at 200-plus points to release the gas. It’s known as purging the lines. Crews will then go door to door to conduct a safety evaluation and restore service. It’s a tedious process that could still take days to be completed safely. Columbia Gas brought in crews from other states to help with the around-the-clock restoration.

“We have six phases that are going to be restored,” Columbia Gas Spokesperson Lee Gierczynski tells Channel 11. “The first two phases have been completed. Now crews are working on phases three and four.”

RELATED COVERAGE >> Columbia Gas explains plan to restore service to more than 4,000 Beaver County customers

Mayor Borato tells Channel 11 that when a third-party producer brought a well online, into their system, something was introduced into Columbia Gas’ system.

“There was not enough BTU’s to burn correctly,” Borato said. “So, instead of your electronic ignition, lighting your furnace, they didn’t want homes to fill with gas, so they thought it as best to shut it down. They are still investigating the cause, and is there a way to address it in the future.”

The Public Utilities Commission is now working to determine if there were any violations of pipeline safety regulations and it’s in touch with federal regulators.

RELATED COVERAGE >> PA Public Utility Commission investigating Columbia Gas service outage

Columbia Gas and the Public Utilities Commission refused to tell Channel 11 who that third-party supplier is.

“I think there could be more transparency to be perfectly honest,” Borato said. “I think it would alleviate some anxiety and help explain how Columbia Gas got to this situation. The situation in Plum is still so fresh in everyone’s mind, and it was so horrific — the loss of life, the loss of property, homes. It would give people peace of mind if people knew this situation was bad, but we’ve corrected it, here’s what caused it.”

“At Columbia Gas, safety is our priority,” Gierczynski stressed. “We wanted to make sure at no time customers were going to have any serious safety concerns. It was a difficult decision, but it was the right decision to ensure the safety of our customers.”

Those who are affected can take a hot shower at the Beaver County YMCA at 2236 3rd Avenue in New Brighton. Just show your ID and let them know you’re affected by the gas outage.

There is also a warming shelter at the Conway Municipal Building at 801 First Avenue in Conway.

Columbia Gas has alerts, streets affected and the phases for restoration can be found here.

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