SaskEnergy and first responders arrived to the Village of Weldon on July 24 to secure a gas leak. (Facebook/Melfort Fire & Rescue)

By Aaron Schulze

Gas Leaks

Gas leak in Weldon reminds former landowners to cancel services

Jul 29, 2019 | 3:01 PM

SaskEnergy is reminding former landowners to cancel their services once they leave or sell their property.

The reminder comes after an incident in the Village of Weldon in the afternoon Wednesday, July 24 when a lawnmower struck a gas riser in an empty field which caused a leak. SaskEnergy and first responders secured and cut off the leak shortly after.

Before cancelling services was made mandatory in 2015, property owners had the choice whether they wanted to remove energy services or not, which is what SaskEnergy Senior Communications Officer Colton Hordichuk said happened in Weldon.

“Before 2015 there were lots of services out there, so these things do happen,” Hordichuk told northeastNOW. “Now it’s policy that they have to disconnect their services.”

Hordichuk said the most dangerous risk associated with cutting a gas line is typically at the point of contact, due to the chance of ignition. However, it’s rare in cases such as the incident in Weldon as natural gas is lighter than air and dissipates quickly.

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“It’s hard to miss because it does smell like rotten eggs,” he said. “Mercaptan is a denser odorant, so that will linger longer than the natural gas. The gas will dissipate, but the mercaptan will stay and that’s the primary sign that there has been a release.”

If a gas leak occurs at a property, Hordichuk encourages people to evacuate the area and call SaskEnergy to cut it off.

Property owners are also encouraged to request a gas line location appointment with SaskEnergy if they plan on digging in their yards.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow