Map Reveals 249 Natural Gas Leaks in Medford

Hundreds of potentially damaging natural gas leaks have been pinpointed across the City of Medford.

The location of more than 20,000 gas leaks was recently revealed as part of a new state law, which requires utility companies to report the location and age of all know gas leaks.

According to a map based on a study done by the Home Efficiency Energy Team (HEET), Medford has 249 gas leaks, the oldest of which dates back to 1990.

Click here to view Medford’s map>>>

Audrey Schulman, president of the Home Energy Efficiency Team, told The Boston Globe that the leaks are in fact a major health and environmental hazard.

“The leaks are potentially explosive, kill trees, harm human health, and release an extraordinarily destructive greenhouse gas,” Schulman said.

Medford city officials say they are working diligently to diagnose the problem. They hope to craft an effective plan to safely fix the leaks.

Utility companies are required to fix any potentially explosive leak, but are not required to repair those deemed nonexplosive, no matter the size of the leak, HEET reports.

Legislators have proposed a bill that would prohibit utility companies from passing the expense of the wasted gas onto consumers. A second bill would require the utilities to fix all gas leaks in roads already opened up for other repairs.