Gas Leak In Gunbarrel Greens

By Helen Johnson

A disaster was averted in Gunbarrel Greens because of Mrs. Jean Sterling’s acute sense of smell and the quick response from both Public Service Company of Colorado and Boulder Rural Fire Department (BRFD). Rae-Anne and Steve Miller left for work early on Thursday, June 3. Around 11:00 a.m., Mrs. Sterling, RaeAnne’s mother who lives in Boulder, stopped by the home. When she approached the house, she smelled a strong odor.
 
Mrs. Sterling called Public Service. The company quickly responded. Their instruments registered high levels of natural gas, in and around the home. The BRFD arrived within minutes.  
Mrs. Sterling was asked to take the family dog and leave immediately. Adjacent houses were also checked for gas fumes and evacuated. Residents were allowed to return approximately an hour later.
 With settling of the bentonite soil, the gas meter had shifted, stretching and rupturing a plastic connector. Natural gas fumes had permeated the surrounding soil and the foundation, eventually seeping into the interior of the house.
 
"We never smelled a gas odor inside the house. If we had, we would have called 911 immediately," RaeAnne said. "The leak was underground and the soil had filtered out the odor."
Mrs. Sterling thought she smelled something unusual on previous visits, but the odor came and went. Other neighborhood residents and visitors to the home had also detected fumes. But because the odor was coming from underground, it was different from the usual natural gas smell, leading everyone to suspect another source.
  
Boulder Rural Battalion Chief Jeff Webb said, "We have been called out on a ‘gas leak’ only to find the smell in question was a skunk killed on the road nearby. If there is any question, call 911. We are glad to come out and figure out the root cause."
  
"[Mrs. Sterling] smelled the fumes with a ‘fresh nose,’" Webb continued. "After a short time, we become accustomed to an odor, and we can’t detect fumes any longer."
RaeAnne added a suggestion. "When it becomes obvious that a meter has shifted due to the erosion of the soil around it, it would seem wise for public service to periodically test the area with a gas detecting instrument, especially since there are known limitations for the plastic connectors used." 
  
The Miller family was allowed to return to the home when the leak was repaired and the home had been aired out, approximately five hours after Mrs. Sterling’s phone call to public service.
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Posted July 1999