Northeast Ohio Natural Gas Corp

GAS SAFETY

Northeast Ohio Natural Gas (NEO) continues to respond to emergency calls reporting an odor of gas in Portage, Geauga and Lake counties resulting from an over odorized natural gas supply that was delivered to the NEO system.

NEO is promptly responding to each emergency call and investigating every situation. Our team has found nothing to cause alarm or indicate the area is not safe.

Natural gas is non-toxic, colorless and odorless. A natural substance called mercaptan is added to natural gas to give it an unpleasant smell often compared to rotten eggs. Odorization is required for leak detection and public safety. This odorant is very strong and often added to natural gas at less than one part per million. When too much of the odorant is added the smell is very strong and could linger in the air.

Our customers are doing the right thing by calling NEO to report an odor of gas. We always encourage customers to call our 24/7 emergency hotline at 800-451-9465 if they detect an odor of gas or suspect a natural gas leak.

NEO personnel continue to respond to every odor of gas call and are committed to ensuring your communities are safe.

Your Safety is important to us.

Natural Gas is perfect for heating, cooking and other household uses. It is an extremely safe form of energy due to its characteristics. For more information, please read the below Public Awareness letters or visit our industry links.
And of course, always remember to call at least 48 hours before you dig: (800) 362-2764 or 811.

Northeast Ohio Natural Gas ensures that the natural gas delivered through its pipeline systems is properly odorized. Proper odorization is regulated by D.O.T. and state public utility commissions. Odorization is required for leak detection and public safety. Northeast Ohio Natural Gas routinely monitors the proper odorization of its pipeline systems to ensure compliance with state and federal law.
Even though the natural gas in our pipeline systems is monitored for proper odorization, you should not rely solely on your sense of smell to determine if a gas leak has occurred or is occurring. Some people may not be able to detect the odorant because of a diminished sense of smell or because the odorant smell is being masked by other odors. In addition, there may be rare conditions, such as ODOR FADE (loss of odorant), which may occur and may cause the odor to diminish so that it is not detectable.
ODOR FADE (loss of odorant) can occur when physical and/or chemical processes cause the level of odorant in the gas to be reduced. These processes may include, but are not limited to, adsorption, absorption and oxidation. This can occur more frequently in installations of NEW GAS PIPE than in existing pipe.
If a natural gas leak occurs underground, the surrounding soil may cause ODOR FADE. Other factors that may cause ODOR FADE include, but are not limited to the construction and configuration of the customer’s gas facilities; the presence of rust, moisture, liquids or other substances in the pipe; and gas composition, pressure and/or flow. Intermittent, little or no gas flow over an extended period of time may also result in the loss of odorant until gas flow increases or becomes more frequent.

Public Awareness

Industry Links

Call Before You Dig

Carbon Monoxide
Safety Message

Excess Flow
Valve Message

SafeGasOhio.org

Ohio Utilities Protection Service

American Gas Association

Natural Gas Facts

Public Utilities Commission

Ohio Gas Association

Call Before You Dig

National Pipeline Mapping

U.S. Department of Energy

If you plan any excavation work, please call: 1-800-362-2764 or 811 to have our facilities located.

Please note:

We at Northeast Ohio Natural Gas identify our pipelines, our road crossings, railroad crossings and meter stations by white markers with red lettering such as you see above.

If you should hear a hissing or blowing noise, see bubbles when it rains, or smell natural gas near one of our facilities, please call our toll free 24 hour emergency number at:

1-800-451-9465
IMMEDIATELY