Some residents in Sweetwater County saw a plume of natural gas coming from a pipeline today, but Dominion Energy representatives say it’s nothing to worry about.
Don Porter, Internal Communicator with Dominion Energy, says the company evacuated gas from a pipeline between Coleman Station and LaBarge today in order to check the integrity of that section of the line, a process called a ‘blowdown’. Once the evaluation is complete, the company will make repairs, if necessary, before putting more natural gas in the pipeline. The pipeline has two locations affected by the evacuation.
Porter says the process took approximately 30 minutes. The process began around 9:30 a.m.
Video provided by Dan Standish shows the natural gas plume as it rises into the air. Standish identified the location to be west of 191 South across from the landfill.
Porter noted that calm days are selected for these kinds of events to prevent the natural gas from blowing to nearby locations. Because natural gas is lighter than air, low wind allows the gas to go straight into the air and dissipate into the atmosphere.
