Every day, over two million miles of underground pipelines across the United States safely and efficiently deliver natural gas to millions of businesses and homes.
Greenville Utilities is responsible for keeping our portion of this system safe. That’s why, in addition to following state and federal pipeline safety regulations, we perform extensive quality control checks, educate residents on how to recognize and prevent natural gas leaks and work closely with emergency and public officials to develop emergency response plans.
GUC's Gas Department Emergency Plan
Pipeline Fact Sheet
Help Keep Residents Safe During a Natural Gas Emergency
While natural gas incidents are rare, it’s still important to be prepared. Here are a few suggestions to keep residents safe in the event of a natural gas leak:
- Call us immediately at our Emergency Hotline, 1-855-767-2482 with the location and type of emergency.
- Use barricades to establish a safety zone around the incident and control access. You may need to reroute traffic and evacuate area homes and businesses.
- Avoid doing anything that might ignite leaking gas. Prohibit smoking and cell phone use and don’t use any mechanical equipment that could create a spark.
- Do not attempt to operate any pipeline valves.
How We Respond
Once we are notified of the emergency, we will immediately dispatch trained personnel to the site, keep you informed of our progress and take the necessary action (e.g. establish an incident command post, close valves, etc.) to correct the problem—working together to ensure our community’s safety.
Prevention: The Best Defense Against Leaks
Emergency officials and first responders do their part daily to prevent natural gas leaks by keeping the following safety tips in mind:
- Know where the pipelines are in your jurisdiction. If you notice any missing pipeline markers, contact GUC so they can be replaced.
- Be on the lookout for any suspicious activity or unauthorized digging. No one, including homeowners, should be digging, ditching, drilling, leveling or plowing without contacting NC 811 first. NC 811 must be called at least three full working days in advance so all utility lines can be professionally marked prior to digging. If they have not notified NC 811 of their actions, they must stop all activity immediately. Find out more.
- Near a pipeline leak, note that the familiar, rotten-egg-like odor of natural gas may not be present. Signs to look for include bubbling water, blowing dirt and dead plants; also listen for a hissing sound.
Learn More
For more information about natural gas and emergency response procedures and training, contact us at 252-551-1587.